The interaction between an intact protein and two lipophilic ions at an oil-water interface has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry, impedance based techniques and a newly developed method in which the biphasic oil-water system is analyzed by biphasic electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (BESI-MS), using a dualchannel electrospray emitter. It is found that the protein forms interfacial complexes with the lipophilic ions and that it specifically requires the presence of the oil-water interface to be formed under the experimental conditions. Furthermore, impedance based techniques and BESI-MS with a common ion to polarize the interface indicated that the Galvani potential difference across the oil-water interface significantly influences the interfacial complexation degree. The ability to investigate protein-ligand complexes formed at polarized liquid-liquid interfaces is thus a new analytical method for assessing potential dependent interfacial complexation using a structure elucidating detection principle.The behavior of biological macromolecules at liquid-liquid interfaces has important implications in the pharmaceutical sciences. It is for example well-known that proteins adsorb at a wide variety of interfaces, 1-4 a process that can have unwanted consequences such as a loss of therapeutic activity due to denaturation and aggregation. 4,5 Two-phase systems are at equilibrium generally associated with an interfacial potential difference, 6 in the following referred to as the Galvani potential difference between a water (w) and oil (o) phase at equilibrium; ∆ o w φ. The value of ∆ o w φ can influence adsorption kinetics and/ or adsorption isotherms. 7 Electrochemistry at Interfaces between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) provides an effective methodology for studying potential dependent adsorption and ion transfer processes. [8][9][10][11][12] In relation to protein research, electrochemistry at ITIES have been used to study protein adsorption, 13 protein adsorption kinetics, 7 the effects on transfer of aqueous ions, 14 and the assisted transfer of proteins to the oil phase. [15][16][17][18] Recently, electrochemistry at ITIES has been used for detecting proteins in solution by means of a protein assisted transfer of organic anions into the water phase at positive potentials. [19][20][21][22] A suggested mechanism for the organic anion transfer involves the formation of a protein-anion complex at the interface. 22 Usually electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) involves an aqueous solution which by application of a high voltage is sprayed into a mass analyzer. Recently, the development of a new biphasic electrospray interface has allowed interfacial complexes in two phase systems to be analyzed using a mass spectrometer; the new technique is termed biphasic electrospray mass spectrometry (BESI-MS). [23][24][25][26] The combined use of BESI-MS and electrochemistry at ITIES is attractive as it allows studying quantitative mechanistic aspects of adsorption and ion transfer pro...