Investigation of basic mobile phases with positive ESI LC–MS for metabonomics studies

Background: Accurate mass based LC–MS combined with statistical analysis is established as a core analytical technology for metabonomic studies. This is primarily due to the specificity, sensitivity and structural elucidation capabilities of the technology. The vast majority of these studies are performed using acidic-based mobile phases in combination with positive ESI mode LC–MS. Recent studies have investigated the use of highly basic pH mobile phases (>10 pH units) in bioanalytical studies that utilize positive ESI mode LC–MS. This non-traditional combination has been shown to improve analyte retention, chromatographic peak shape, and S/N for a variety of probe pharmaceutical compounds in...