Thermospray liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry in phytochemical analysis

Liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry (LC‐MS) has become a successful analytical tool and is no longer regarded as a pure research instrument without any routine practical applications. The development of the thermospray interface (TSP) has been of great help in this respect, allowing the direct use of standard HPLC conditions (1 mL/min, aqueous solvents) for the LC‐MS coupling. TSP LC‐MS has been used in phytochemical analysis as a powerful detection technique for on‐line identification and for quantification of plant constituents, even in trace amounts. Applications of this technique to different classes of plant metabolites such as polyphenols, terpenes, sugars, glucosinolates, alkaloids and glycosides are described. The potential of TSP LC‐MS in the analysis of crude plant extracts is discussed.