LC/MS is a technique that combines liquid chromatography separation with mass spectrometry detection. It separates compounds in a complex mixture using HPLC and then uses an interface like electrospray ionization to introduce the separated compounds into the mass spectrometer for identification. Common components of an LC/MS system include the HPLC column, ionization source, mass analyzer and detector. It has various applications in areas like pharmaceutical analysis, food safety testing and clinical research due to its high sensitivity and selectivity.