Analysis of candidate anticancer drugs by thermospray high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and by high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Thermospray high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (TSP-HPLC-MS) and direct probe high-resolution MS was used to analyze four candidate anticancer drugs. The techniques were used to confirm the identity of the bulk drug and to identify impurities. Analysis by TSP-HPLC-MS resulted in molecular weight information from the separated components using as little as 50 ng of each drug. The high-resolution direct probe MS analysis provided additional structural information and possible empirical formulas for the parent drugs and their impurities. The use of both of these complimentary techniques proved to be very specific for the detection of the anticancer drugs and for postulating the identity of impurities.