Capillary electrophoresis–time-of-flight mass spectrometry of drugs of abuse

The use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the determination of drugs of abuse was explored. A commercial CE system was interfaced with a laboratory-built time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS) which was equipped with a high-speed data acquisition system to provide accurate monitoring of efficient separations. Ionization of the CE eluent was achieved with an electrospray ionization source. Standard mixtures and seized samples were analyzed either by direct infusion of the analyte solutions or after separation by CE. Detection at the low femtomole level was obtained using CE-TOFMS.