Comprehensive molecular structure information can be obtained by fraction collection from preparative liquid chromatography (LC), followed by manual solvent evaporation, KBr pellet formation (or evaporation onto an ATR diamond probe), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). But this is laborious and has low sensitivity. Overcoming these limitations is an instrument from researchers at Spectra Analysis, Inc., Marlborough, Mass. DiscovIR-LC is a liquid chromatography-infrared spectrometer that produces real-time chromatograms and complete mid-IR spectra free of solvent interference. It is the first integrated on-line LC-IR that rapidly and automatically and continuously produces full mid-IR, solvent-free solid phase spectra in real time. It operates by solvent removal with direct deposition of the chromatography eluent. Its solvent removal interface achieves intrinsically self-stable, self-regulating solvent removal with maximum sample preservation over widely varying operating conditions. Deformulation with functional characterization and library match identification using DiscovIR-LC will bring to complex mixtures, polymer, copolymers, isomers, and small molecules many of the benefits and economic impact LC-MS has brought to small pharmaceutical compounds.