Extraction and Analytical Considerations

Maurer has reviewed the application of LC-MS and LC-MS/MS to the detection of alkaloids in human biofluids [14]. Extraction techniques include liquid-liquid extraction relying upon the ionization of alkaloids in aqueous acid, solid phase extraction (SPE) in which alkaloids are cleaned up and concentrated from the biomatrix by adsorption and subsequent elution from a small cartridge of solid phase adsorbent, and solid-phase microextraction (SPME), in which analytes are adsorbed directly from the matrix or the headspace above the heated matrix onto a fine fiber of adsorbent on fused silica. The latter process is more commonly used with GC-M S but is finding increasing use with LC-MS. 

Maurer [14] highlights several aspects or considerations with respect to the application of LC-MS to the multianalyte screening of biological samples  

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