Chiral recognition is a fundamental phenomenon in life sciences, based on the enantioselective complexation of a chiral molecule with a chiral selector. The diastereomeric aggregates, formed by complexation, are held together by a different combination of intermolecular forces and are therefore endowed with different stability and reactivity. Determination of these forces, which are normally affected in the condensed phase by solvent and supramolecular interactions, requires the generation of the diastereomeric complexes in the isolated state and their spectroscopic investigation. This review deals with chiral recognition in the gas phase through the application of laser-resolved mass spectrometric techniques (R2PI-TOF and REI-MS). The measurement of the fragmentation thresholds of diastereomeric clusters by these techniques allows the determination of the nature of the intrinsic interactions, which 'control their formation and affect their stability and reactivity. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.