The formation of the gas-phase non-covalent complexes of diclofenac sodium with cyclodextrins (CDs) was studied by electrospray ionization/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI/TOFMS). The continuous variation method was utilized to elucidate the stoichiometry. Mass spectrums revealed the stoichiometric ratios of complexes with 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 1:2 (b-cyclodextrin:diclofenac sodium) in deionized water or ethanol. The influence of cavity size of CD and the pH values of solution on the mixture system were investigated in detail. Only one complex peak was observed in a-CD, which is different from band g-CD. These results demonstrated that ESI/ TOFMS is a complementary technique for study of the non-covalent complex.