Trace analysis in complex mixtures using a high-component filtering strategy with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry

Abstract Trace constituents are widely present in complex mixtures, and trace analysis is challenging because of the unpredictable matrix. In this work, a high-component filtering strategy was developed for improved analysis of trace constituents in complex sample by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). Using a specifically designed chromatographic apparatus, the high-abundant fractions were filtered prior to LC–MS analysis. The samples complexity was reduced and the sample-loading amount for the rest low-level fractions can be considerably increased. The application of this approach was illustrated with an analytically challenging sample, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine named Compound Danshen Sample. We observed that the loss rate for 12 analytes during the filtering procedure ranged from 6.54 to 26.11%, but showed a stable repeatability with RSD