text: High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and electron ionization mass spectrometry (EIMS) are two analytical techniques that, in principle, seem to be incompatible. However, because these two approaches share a great deal of applications in the analysis of suitable molecules, typically less than 1000 u, a large effort has been devoted by the scientific community to develop a reliable, easy-to-use, and flawless interface. The first successful and commercially available device to combine EI and HPLC was designed by Willoughby and Browner in 1984. It was based on the conversion of the solute into a beam of particles, after the formation of spray droplets and the elimination of the solvent vapors through a multi-stage momentum separator. Although its efficient interfacing mechanism and a unique trait, particle beam performance was sometimes inadequate to an increasing number of new, demanding applications and was quickly replaced by a family of atmospheric pressure ionization-based interfaces (API) when they became commercially available. However, the possibility to record an EI spectrum from an HPLC application remained a challenge for a long time. The first Direct-EI prototype was first presented in 2002 and proposed an innovative approach that improved interfacing performance compared to that of particle beam and opened new opportunities for LC-MS applications.