LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY ULTRA-VIOLET MASS-SPECTROMETRIC AND LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSIS OF CRUDE EXTRACTS OF GENTIANACEAE SPECIES

High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled with ultra viole t photodiode array (LC/UV-DAD) and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) detection has been used routinely for the chemical screening of crude extracts of Gentianaceae species, The recent progress realised in the held of n uclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) has given a new impulse t o the coupling of this detection method with liquid chromatography (LC /NMR) and several LC/NMR probes are now commercially available. In ord er to evaluate the potential of this coupled technique as a complement to LC/UV/MS for the on-line identification of plant metabolites, two characteristic Gentianaceae species were analysed, namely Swertia caly cina and Gentiana ottonis, On-line UV, MS, MS/MS H-1-NMR and H-1-H-1-N MR spectra of the major constituents of these two plants allowed their identification directly within the crude extracts, The potential and the limitations of LC/NMR used together with LC/UV/MS for the on-line analysis of plant metabolites are discussed. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.