Frontal elution paper chromatography coupled with desorption
corona beam ionization mass spectrometry (FEPC–DCBI-MS) was
successfully developed for the analysis of synthetic drugs added in
herbal medicines. The overall procedure integrates three analytical
steps: sample grinding and extraction, analyte separation and
concentration on a triangular filter paper sheet and analyte ionization
using DCBI. The proposed method significantly enhanced
the analyte’s signal intensity by sample condensing at the tip of
the triangular filter paper sheet and reduction of background suppression.
Furthermore, the analytical throughput was increased by
omitting the centrifugation step, which is usually a major bottleneck
for shortening the time in laboratory analysis. Taken together,
our results demonstrated that FEPC–DCBI-MS method developed in
current study provides an effective and rapid analytical tool for the
specific detection of chlorphenamine in both solid and liquid herbal
medicines. The method is of considerable interest for extending the
scope of application of ambient ionization mass spectrometry.