LCMS standards

LCMS Best Practices and Internal Standards:
Key Concepts for Accurate and Reliable Analysis

LCMS standards refer to chemical compounds that are used as reference materials or calibration standards in Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) analysis. These standards are used to ensure the accuracy, precision, and reliability of LCMS measurements by providing a known concentration of a particular analyte or a mixture of analytes.


LCMS standards can be purchased commercially or prepared in-house using high-purity chemicals and validated analytical methods. They are typically available as solutions or powders and may be used for various applications such as quantification of drugs, pesticides, environmental contaminants, and metabolites in biological samples.


Using LCMS standards can help ensure the accuracy and reliability of LCMS analysis results by providing a known reference point for comparison. This is important in many industries such as pharmaceuticals, environmental monitoring, and food safety, where accurate and precise analysis is critical for regulatory compliance and public health.

There are several best practices that can help ensure the accuracy and reliability of Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LCMS) analysis :

Use high-quality LCMS standards: Use certified reference materials or calibration standards that are traceable to national or international standards. These standards should have a known concentration and purity and should be handled carefully to avoid contamination or degradation.


Optimize sample preparation: Ensure that sample preparation is optimized for the type of sample being analyzed. This includes selecting the appropriate extraction method, minimizing sample handling, and ensuring sample stability during storage and transport.

Use appropriate quality control measures: Use appropriate quality control measures such as blanks, duplicates, and spikes to ensure that the analysis is accurate and precise. Quality control samples should be analyzed in the same way as the unknown samples and should be included in every batch of analysis.

Optimize LCMS instrument parameters: Optimize LCMS instrument parameters such as ionization source, mass analyzer settings, and detector settings to achieve the best sensitivity, selectivity, and accuracy.

Validate analytical methods: Validate analytical methods to ensure that they are fit for purpose and provide reliable and accurate results. This includes assessing linearity, accuracy, precision, and limits of detection and quantification.

Monitor instrument performance: Regularly monitor instrument performance by running calibration checks, analyzing quality control samples, and tracking instrument drift over time. By following these best practices, you can help ensure the accuracy and reliability of your LCMS analysis results, which is critical for many applications in the pharmaceutical, environmental, and food industries.

Use of LCMS in Internal Standards

Internal standards are chemical compounds that are added to a sample prior to LCMS analysis to improve the accuracy and precision of the analysis. An internal standard is a structurally similar compound that is not naturally present in the sample but is added at a known concentration.

The internal standard is typically used to correct for variations in sample preparation, instrument response, and ionization efficiency, which can affect the accuracy and precision of the analysis. By adding a known amount of internal standard to the sample, it is possible to accurately quantify the analyte of interest and correct for any variability in the analysis.

For example, if you are analyzing a drug in a biological sample, you could add a structurally similar internal standard to the sample prior to LCMS analysis. The internal standard would be added at a known concentration, and the ratio of the analyte to the internal standard would be measured. This ratio can then be used to accurately quantify the amount of analyte in the sample.

Internal standards can improve the accuracy and precision of LCMS analysis by providing a reference point for comparison. They can help correct for variations in sample preparation and instrument response, and can also help detect and correct for matrix effects, which can interfere with accurate analysis. Overall, internal standards are an important tool in LCMS analysis, particularly for quantitative analysis of complex samples.