HPTLC is a most versatile technique and is known for uniformity, purity profile, assay values and precision and accuracy of results. It can handle several samples of even divergent nature and composition. HPTLC is a modern analytical separation method with extensive versatility, although already much utilized, is still with great potential for future development in research and development. It is accepted as a time-saving and most economical machine practically with minimum trouble shootings. It speeds up analysis work which is usually not possible with other parallel chromatographic techniques available. The scope of hyphenation of HPTLC with other analytical techniques appears to hold considerable promise for the analysts who previously have had reservation towards the use of planar chromatography. Its hyphenation with mass/infra-red/laser spectroscopy, etc. opens a new dimension which makes it the most prestigious among the analytical chemists in the present perspective. HPLC-MS is more preferred method for separation and identification of compounds. But disadvantage of HPLC is that it requires more solvent as compared to HPTLC. This technique provides efficient, quick and simple method for identification and separation of Narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. Therefore, taking advantage of less solvent requirement in HPTLC and also to enhance working hyphenation of both HPTLC and MS is done so as to provide wide scope for separation as well as identification of product within short period of time. The great advantage of the instrument is that exclusively questioned zones are transferred into the MS for identification and that within less than one-minute sensitive mass spectrometric information is available.

KEYWORDS: HPTLC-MS, Technique, Analytical separation, applications.