ICP – (tandem) mass spectrometry or ICP-MS(/MS) is a well-known technique for ultra-trace element determination. It can also be used in the context of elemental speciation when combined as a sensitive element-specific detector with an adequate separation technique, e.g., (ultra)high-performance liquid chromatography ((U)HPLC). As the ICP-MS signal intensity is independent of the structure of the molecule the analyte element is present in, (U)HPLC-ICP-MS(/MS) offers a promising alternative for quantitative drug metabolite profiling, eliminating the disadvantages of the standard technique, i.e. HPLC followed by radiodetection. This review describes the current status of (U)HPLC-ICP-MS(/MS) in the field of quantitative metabolite profiling of pharmaceutical drugs not containing a metal, with special emphasis on quantification approaches. Next to the possibilities for interference-free monitoring of the most typical (non-metal) hetero-elements in pharmaceuticals, also derivatization strategies for drugs originally not containing an element that can be monitored using ICP-MS(MS) are discussed within this review paper.

ICP-（串联）质谱法或ICP-MS（/ MS）是超痕量元素测定的著名技术。当它与灵敏的元素特异性检测器与适当的分离技术（例如（超）高效液相色谱（（U）HPLC））结合使用时，也可以用于元素形态分析中。由于ICP-MS信号强度与分析物元素所在的分子结构无关，因此（U）HPLC-ICP-MS（/ MS）为定量药物代谢物分析提供了一种有前途的替代方法，消除了该标准的缺点技术，即HPLC，然后进行放射检测。这篇综述描述了（U）HPLC-ICP-MS（/ MS）在不含金属的药物定量代谢物谱分析领域的现状，特别着重于定量方法。