Thin layer chromatography/mass spectrometry

Thin layer chromatography (TLC)--a simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-operate planar chromatographic technique--has been used in general chemistry laboratories for several decades to routinely separate chemical and biochemical compounds. Traditionally, chemical and optical methods are employed to visualize the analyte spots on the TLC plate. Because direct identification and structural characterization of the analytes on the TLC plate through these methods are not possible, there has been long-held interest in the development of interfaces that allow TLC to be combined with mass spectrometry (MS)--one of the most efficient analytical tools for structural elucidation. So far, many different TLC-MS techniques have been reported in the literature; some are commercially available. According to differences in their operational processes, the existing TLC-MS systems can be classified into two categories: (i) indirect mass spectrometric analyses, performed by scraping, extracting, purifying, and concentrating the analyte from the TLC plate and then directing it into the mass spectrometer's ion source for further analysis; (ii) direct mass spectrometric analyses, where the analyte on the TLC plate is characterized directly through mass spectrometry without the need for scraping, extraction, or concentration processes. Conventionally, direct TLC-MS analysis is performed under vacuum, but the development of ambient mass spectrometry has allowed analytes on TLC plates to be characterized under atmospheric pressure. Thus, TLC-MS techniques can also be classified into two other categories according to the working environment of the ion source: vacuum-based TLC-MS or ambient TLC-MS. This review article describes the state of the art of TLC-MS techniques used for indirect and direct characterization of analytes on the surfaces of TLC plates.