LC–MS

Μetabolomics enables the comprehensive profiling of small molecules in medicine, plant science, and systems biology. Its true value depends not on the number of detected features but on the reliability of metabolite identification and pathway analysis. Despite well-established guidelines, annotation and definitive identification are often conflated in practice. Simple matches in mass databases are frequently reported as identities, without comparison to standards or chromatographic evidence. This overstatement of confidence compromises validity and risks propagating errors into databases, pathway analyses, and AI-driven workflows. Mass spectrometry (MS) alone is rarely sufficient for identification and orthogonal evidence is essential. Chromatographic retention time is an underused but powerful descriptor reflecting molecular properties. When combined with MS it can provide plausibility checks and form the basis of Level 1 identification. Regulatory frameworks already require such combined criteria in targeted analysis. Systematic use of retention order, retention indices, and prediction models can filter implausible candidates and strengthen identification.

At Pittcon 2026 in San Antonio, Texas, the LCGC International Awards Session was held on Tuesday, March 10, from 1:30 PM to 4:40 PM. This session, presided by Jerome Workman, Jr., celebrated two distinguished scientists whose work has significantly influenced modern separation science. This annual session honors both a lifetime of achievement and the promise of emerging leadership in chromatography. In its nineteenth year, the program recognized Jack Henion with the LCGC Lifetime Achievement Award and Bob W. J. Pirok with the LCGC Emerging Leader in Chromatography Award.

Webinar Date/Time: Tuesday, March 17 and Wednesday, March 18, 2026 Morning Session: 9:30 AM EDT | 1:30 PM GMT | 2:30 PM CET Afternoon Session: 12:00 PM EDT | 4:00 PM GMT | 5:00 PM CET

A liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) method for the determination of 39 emerging contaminants in water at ultra trace concentrations has been developed and validated.

Webinar Date/Time: Thu, Feb 26, 2026 12:00 PM EST

Webinar Date/Time: Thursday, February 19, 2025 8am PST | 11am EST | 4pm GMT | 5pm CET

Webinar Date/Time: Monday, December 8, 2025 8am PST | 11am EST | 4pm GMT | 5pm CET

Webinar Date/Time: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 8am PST | 11am EST | 4pm GMT | 5pm CET

Webinar Date/Time:Wednesday December 3rd 2025 Morning Session: 9:15am EST | 6:15am PST | 2:15pm GMT | 3:15pm CEST Afternoon Session: 11:45am EST | 8:45am PST | 4:45pm GMT | 5:45pm CEST Thursday December 4th 2025 Morning Session: 9:15am EST | 6:15am PST | 2:15pm GMT | 3:15pm CEST Afternoon Session: 11:15am EST | 8:15am PST | 4:15pm GMT | 5:15pm CEST

Webinar Date/Time: Tue, Nov 18, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Webinar Date/Time: Thursday, November 20, 2025 8am PDT | 11am EDT | 4pm GMT | 5pm CET Thusrsday December 4th 2025: The State of The Art in Pharmaceutical Analysis: A Virtual Symposium Time: 9:15 am EDT/2:15 pm GMT/3:15 pm CET

Webinar Date/Time: Mon, Nov 3, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Kerstin Thurow, who achieved first professorship in “Laboratory Automation” at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Rostock, in Germany, offers insights into the constantly-evolving field of laboratory automation.

Webinar Date/Time: Thu, Nov 6, 2025 11:00 AM EST

This week, LCGC International published a variety of articles on hot topics in separation science. From an interview about the latest advancements in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), a news article about a new product from Thermo Fisher, and an article about bioanalytical liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS), we’ve highlighted some of the most popular articles that were published this week.

The main objectives of this study were to develop a method for the measurement of cocaine derivatives in oral fluid by coupling a probe electrospray ionization (PESI) source with quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF). The three cocaine derivatives considered were: benzoylecgonine (BZE), cocaine, and ecgonine-methylester (EME).

Ida Marie Marquart Løber explores postmortem interval estimation using UHPLC–QTOF-MS and machine learning, profiling rat tissue metabolites and outlining pathways for human adaptation toward objective, AI-driven forensic timelines.

Webinar Date/Time: Tuesday, September 30, 2025 8am PDT | 11am EDT | 4pm BST | 5pm CEST

Webinar Date/Time: Thursday, September 18, 2025 8am PDT | 11am EDT | 4pm BST | 5pm CEST

This study reports a validated rapid, low-volume LC–MS/MS method capable of simultaneously quantifying remifentanil, etomidate, and rocuronium across a wide concentration range.

In this article, you’ll find some of the top content that was published on LCGC this week, including calls for new chromatography technologies and interviews with rising stars in the field.

To create a new approach for monitoring and quantifying free fatty acids (FFAs), Chinese researchers combined stable isotope derivatization coupled with liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (ID-LC-QQQ-MS).

Webinar Date/Time: Thursday, August 21, 2025 8am PDT | 11am EDT | 4pm BST | 5pm CEST

Researchers from Comenius University Bratislava used LC–MS/MS to analyze albendazole substances in plasma samples.

To better detect cardiovascular diseases in people, researchers used high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) to simultaneously quantify metabolites in human plasma.