June 5, 2012
by Arvin Moser, Team Manager, Application Scientists, ACD/Labs
Sorting out what compounds are present in a mixture is a difficult task. The process is further complicated when the compounds co-elute on a chromatographic run.
An LC/MS (ESI+) was collected for an unknown sample comprising of small organic molecules. The total ion chromatogram (TIC shown in black) shows a signal at 2.86 minutes. The extracted ion chromatograms (XICs) for m/z 188.1 (red) and 205.1 (green) appear at 2.86 minutes. Are the signals related to the same component? Or is co-elution occurring?