Impact of mass spectrometry on combinatorial chemistry

In the past few years, the emergence of combinatorial chemistry has drawn i ncreasing attention and a great deal of analytical research has been center ed around this new methodology. These new methods capable of producing vast numbers of samples, which are in many cases highly complex, demand fast an d reliable analytical techniques able to provide high quality information c oncerning sample compositions. Mass spectrometry (MS) is the method of choi ce to face these analytical challenges. In particular, the introduction of electrospray ionization (ESI and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionizatio n (MALDI)) have been the driving forces for many of the recent innovations, not only within the fields of the biosciences, but also in combinatorial c hemistry. These ionization techniques are extremely versatile for the chara cterization of both single compound collections and compound mixture collec tions. The high-throughput capabilities, as well as many possible couplings with separation techniques (HPLC, CE) have been thus facilitated. However, mass spectrometry is not only limited to use as an instrument for synthesi s control, but also plays an increasing role in the identification of activ e compounds from complex libraries. Recently, new initiatives for library a nalysis and screening have arisen from the application of the latest develo pments in mass spectrometry, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTI CR). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.