A Review on Hyphenated Techniques in Analytical Chemistry

Abstract

Background: In chemical and pharmaceutical analysis, hyphenated techniques range from the combinations involving separation-separation, separation-identification and identification-identification techniques and are widely used nowadays, as they hold many advantages like fast accurate analysis, a higher degree of automation, higher sample throughput, better reproducibility, specificity and sensitivity. They also reduce contamination due to closed systems and offer simultaneous separation and quantification, leading to better analysis. Objective: Though many reviews have appeared on hyphenated analytical techniques till date, in the past decade, their use has increased manifold and therefore, we thought it imperative to review the latest progress in this field. In the present article, an attempt has been made to cover the latest information on various hyphenated techniques like LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy), GC-MS (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy), LC-IR (Liquid Chromatography-Infra-Red Spectroscopy), as well as, LC-MS-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy-Mass Spectroscopy), LC-NMR-MS (Liquid Chromatography-Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Mass Spectroscopy), etc. Conclusion: This review describes a total of seventeen different hyphenated techniques, comprising mainly of the combinations of chromatographic techniques with spectroscopic techniques. We have tried to cover the latest information on various double hyphenated techniques like LC-MS , LC-NMR, LC-IR, HPTLC-MS, HPTLC-IR, GC-MS, GC-IR, GC-TLC, GC-AES, MS-MS, CE-MS, GC-NMR, as well as, triple hyphenated techniques like LC-MS-MS, LC-NMR-MS, LC-UV-MS, GC-MS-MS, GC-IR-MS. Mainly the principle, instrumentation, applications, and advantages of each of the techniques are discussed in this review. Also, disadvantages of a few techniques have been mentioned.