Pressure-assisted capillary electrophoresis for cation separations using a sequential injection analysis manifold and contactless conductivity detection

Pressure assisted capillary electrophoresis in capillaries with internal diameters of 10 μm was found possible without significant penalty in terms of separation efficiency and sensitivity when using contactless conductivity detection. A sequential injection analysis manifold consisting of a syringe pump and valves was used to impose a hydrodynamic flow in the separation of some inorganic as well as organic cations. It is demonstrated that the approach may be used to optimize analysis time by superimposing a hydrodynamic flow parallel to the electrokinetic motion. It is also possible to improve the separation by using the forced flow to maintain the analytes in the capillary, and thus the separation field, for longer times. The use of the syringe pump allows flexible and precise control of the pressure, so that it is possible to impose pressure steps during the separation. The use of this was demonstrated for the speeding up of late peaks, or forcing repeated passage of the sample plug through the capillary in order to increase separation.     

Comparison of field‐enhanced and pressure‐assisted field‐enhanced sample injection techniques for the analysis of water‐soluble vitamins using CZE

A new online concentration method, namely pressure‐assisted field‐enhanced sample injection (PA‐FESI), was developed and compared with FESI for the analysis of water‐soluble vitamins by CZE with UV detection. In PA‐FESI, negative voltage and positive pressure were simultaneously applied to initialize PA‐FESI. PA‐FESI uses the hydrodynamic flow generated by the positive pressure to counterbalance the reverse EOF in the capillary column during electrokinetic sample injection, which allowed a longer injection time than usual FESI mode without compromising the separation efficiency. Using the PA‐FESI method, the LODs of the vitamins were at ng/mL level based on the S/N of 3 and the RSDs of migration time and peak area for each vitamin (1 μg/mL) were less than 5.1%. The developed method was applied to the analysis of water‐soluble vitamins in corns.     

Analysis of phenolic acids by non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis after electrokinetic supercharging

Electrokinetic supercharging (EKS), a new and powerful on-line preconcentration method for capillary electrophoresis, was utilized in non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) to enhance the sensitivity of phenolic acids. The buffer acidity and concentration, leader and terminator length and electrokinetic injection time were optimised, with the optimum conditions being: a background electrolyte of 40 mM Tris-acetic acid (pH 7.9), hydrodynamic injection of 50 mM ammonium chloride (22 s, 0.5 psi) as leader, electrokinetic injection of the sample (180 s, -10 kV), hydrodynamic injection of 20 mM CHES (32 s, 0.5 psi) as terminator, before application of the separation voltage (-25 kV). Under these conditions the sensitivity was enhanced between 1333 and 3440 times when compared to a normal hydrodynamic injection with the sample volume <3% of the capillary volume. Detection limits for the seven phenolic acids were in the range of 0.22-0.51 ng/mL and EKS was found to be 3.6-7.9 times more sensitive than large-volume sample stacking and anion selective exhaustive injection for the same seven phenolic acids.     

Simultaneous determination of atenolol and amiloride in pharmaceutical preparations by capillary zone electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection

Capillary zone electrophoresis coupled with a capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detector (CE‐C⁴D) has been employed for the determination of atenolol and amiloride in pharmaceutical formulations. Acetic acid (150 mm ) was used as background electrolyte. The influence of several factors (detector excitation voltage and frequency, buffer concentration, applied voltage, capillary temperature and injection time) was studied. Non‐UV‐absorbing L‐valine was used as internal standard; the analytes were all separated in less than 7 min. The separation was carried out in normal polarity mode at 28°C, 25 kV and using hydrodynamic injection (25 s). The separation was effected in an uncoated fused‐silica capillary (75 μm, i.d. × 52 cm). The CE‐C⁴D method was validated with respect to linearity, limit of detection and quantification, accuracy, precision and selectivity. Calibration curves were linear over the range 5–250 μg/mL for the studied analytes. The relative standard deviations of intra‐ and inter‐day migration times and corrected peak areas were less than 6.0%. The method showed good precision and accuracy and was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of atenolol and amiloride in different pharmaceutical tablet formulations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flow Injection Analysis of Iodate Reduction on PEDOT Modified Electrode

Poly‐(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) films were electrodeposited by cyclic voltammetry on glassy carbon electrode at different anodic potentials in the range of 1.0–1.5 V (Ag/AgCl) and its electrocatalytic properties towards reduction of iodate were reported. The effect of the pH of the solution on the response of PEDOT electrode towards iodate also studied. The modified electrode was employed successfully as an amperometric sensor for iodate in a flow injection apparatus. The repeatability of the method for 14 injections of a μM iodate solution was 7%. Interference from other oxidant anions such as nitrate was not noticeable, whereas bromate, chlorate and nitrite interfere at slight levels.     

Use of eosin as a fluorophore in capillary electrophoresis with laser detection.

Eosin has been used to generate the background signal for indirect fluorimetric detection of inorganic and organic ions, simultaneously separated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). This reagent provides constant fluorescence over the pH range of 5-10 and is compatible with the excitation by an argon ion laser at 488 nm with emission at 520 nm. The use of esosine as fluorophore, H3BO3, and Na2B4O7 as electrolyte and diethylentriamine as modifier of the electroosmotic flow in CZE were optimised. The analytical potential of the studied buffer was tested on a group of 12 anions, used as model compounds. Both, hydrodynamic and electrokinetic injection mode were optimised. The detection limits determined by the last injection mode, were in the range 0.008-0.037 mg l(-1). By using this method, the quantitation of the common anions in tap and mineral water has been carried out successfully.     

Application of a capillary‐assembled microfluidic system for separation of cephalosporins

This paper demonstrates a simple and easy setting up of a fused‐silica capillary‐assembled microfluidic system (μCE). This system incorporates a split‐flow pressure injection of the sample into a microfluidic system made from PDMS and a short (～20 cm) length of fused‐silica capillary as a separation unit. The on‐capillary detection was carried out by fiber optic spectrometry. A mixture of six cephalosporin antibiotics was separated in the μCE system and the obtained results were compared to those achievable by conventional CE. The six components could be separated within 8.5 min with the number of theoretical plates around 10 000.     

An evaluation of ultrasonic nebulizers as interfaces for capillary electrophoresis of inorganic anions and cations with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric detection

The ultrasonic nebulizer was studied for use as an interface for capillary electrophoresis of a variety of inorganic anions and cations with element-selective detection using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Two different versions of the nebulizer were ultilized for this work, a low-cost lab-built design and a commercially available device. Interface design features initially developed with the low-cost design were applied and refined with the second design. Extensive optimizations of the interfaces were carried out, and observed detection limits were in the low-ppb to ppt range. Detection limits for the anions studied were reduced from the ppb level to the ppt level by changing from hydrodynamic injection to electrokinetic injection.     

Quantitative on‐line concentration for capillary electrophoresis with inkjet sample introduction technique

A quantitative sample introduction method based upon inkjet injection was applied to capillary electrophoresis coupled with stacking and sweeping on‐line concentration techniques. Methylxanthines were used as model compounds for the proof‐of‐concept of the method. The volume of injected sample could be easily manipulated by controlling the number of ejected droplets in the injection procedure. Under optimized conditions, a linear relationship between the ejected droplet number and peak area was obtained when the droplet number introduced into the capillary was less than 100. Under optimized quantitative on‐line concentration conditions, the limits of detection for theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline were 1.0, 2.0, and 1.0 μM, respectively. The inkjet injection system was evaluated by comparing it with conventional injection methods. The electropherogram of the inkjet injection mode was the same as that for hydrodynamic injection mode, and no sample discrimination was observed compared with the electrokinetic injection mode. The established method was applied to the determination of methylxanthines in bottled green tea. The recoveries of theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline were 94.1, 110.6, and 86.8%, respectively. We conclude that proposed method can be used for quantitative concentration for capillary electrophoresis, thus resulting in an improved accuracy.     

Rapid electrophoretic separations in short capillaries using contactless conductivity detection and a sequential injection analysis manifold for hydrodynamic sample loading

A sequential injection-capillary electrophoresis (SI-CE) system for the fast and automated quantitative analysis of anions and cations is described. Because of the low sample load in capillary electrophoresis a split injection approach had to be used to achieve reliable hydrodynamic injection. The use of a capillary of 8 cm effective length allowed for the separation of five inorganic cations within 11 s. One common electrolyte solution containing 12 mM l-histidine and 2 mM 18-crown-6 whose pH value was adjusted to 4.0 with 10% v/v acetic acid was used for anions and cations, thus the analysis of both groups of analytes could be carried out in rapid sequence simply by switching the polarity of the high voltage supply. The system also allows automated flushing of the capillary. Detection limits between about 2 and 5 micromol l(-1) could be achieved with the contactless conductivity detector employed.     

毛细管电泳序列分析技术用于在线酶分析研究进展

毛细管电泳技术具有操作简单、样品消耗量少、分离效率高和分析速度快等优势,不仅是一种高效的分离分析技术,而且已经发展成为在线酶分析和酶抑制研究的强有力工具。酶反应全程的实时在线监测,可以实现酶反应动力学过程的高时间分辨精确检测,以更准确地获得反应机制和反应速率常数,有助于更好地了解酶反应机制,从而更全面深入地认识酶在生物代谢中的功能。此外,准确、快速的在线酶抑制剂高通量筛选方法的发展,对加快酶抑制类药物的研发以及疾病的临床诊断亦具有重要意义。电泳媒介微分析法（EMMA）和固定化酶微反应器（IMER）是毛细管电泳酶分析技术中常用的在线分析方法。这两种在线酶分析法的进样方式通常为流体动力学进样和电动进样,无法实现酶反应过程中的无干扰序列进样分析。近年来,基于快速序列进样的毛细管电泳序列分析技术已经发展成为在线酶分析的另一种强有力手段,以实现高时间分辨和高通量的酶分析在线检测。该文从快速序列进样的角度,综述了近年来毛细管电泳序列分析技术在线酶分析的研究进展,并着重介绍了各种序列进样方法及其在酶反应和酶抑制反应中的应用,包括光快门进样、流动门进样、毛细管对接的二维扩散进样、流动注射进样、液滴微流控进样等。     

Impact of Taylor‐Aris diffusivity on analyte and system zone dispersion in CZE assessed by computer simulation and experimental validation

Application of pressure‐driven laminar flow has an impact on zone and boundary dispersion in open tubular CE. The GENTRANS dynamic simulator for electrophoresis was extended with Taylor‐Aris diffusivity which accounts for dispersion due to the parabolic flow profile associated with pressure‐driven flow. Effective diffusivity of analyte and system zones as functions of the capillary diameter and the amount of flow in comparison to molecular diffusion alone were studied for configurations with concomitant action of imposed hydrodynamic flow and electroosmosis. For selected examples under realistic experimental conditions, simulation data are compared with those monitored experimentally using modular CE setups featuring both capacitively coupled contactless conductivity and UV absorbance detection along a 50 μm id fused‐silica capillary of 90 cm total length. The data presented indicate that inclusion of flow profile based Taylor‐Aris diffusivity provides realistic simulation data for analyte and system peaks, particularly those monitored in CE with conductivity detection.     

Online transient micellar phase concentration of anions using CTAB in CE

A transient micellar phase extractor using CTAB was described for the online sample concentration of various anionic analytes (drugs and herbicides) in CE. Stacking and separation was performed at neutral pH in coelectroosmotic flow in a hexadimethrine bromide coated fused‐silica capillary. A micellar plug (e.g. 10 mM CTAB) was injected prior to hydrodynamic injection of the analytes prepared in aqueous organic solvent (e.g. with 30% ACN). In the presence of an electric field, the micelles interacted with the anions inside the capillary. This was followed by selective analyte focusing via the mechanism of micelle to solvent stacking. The micelles acted as transient extractor because the stacking ends when the injected micelles completely migrated through the boundary between the sample and micellar plug. Fundamental studies were performed (effect of surfactant concentration, etc.) and the technique yielded 13‐ to 30‐fold improvements in peak height. A stacking CE method in conjunction with liquid–liquid extraction was also tested for the detection of the herbicides fenoprop and mecoprop in fortified drinking water at analyte concentration levels relevant to Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.     

Fingerprinting postblast explosive residues by portable capillary electrophoresis with contactless conductivity detection

A portable capillary electrophoretic system with contactless conductivity detection was used for fingerprint analysis of postblast explosive residues from commercial organic and improvised inorganic explosives on various surfaces (sand, concrete, metal witness plates). Simple extraction methods were developed for each of the surfaces for subsequent simultaneous capillary electrophoretic analysis of anions and cations. Dual‐opposite end injection principle was used for fast (<4 min) separation of 10 common anions and cations from postblast residues using an optimized separation electrolyte composed of 20 mM MES, 20 mM l ‐histidine, 30 μM CTAB and 2 mM 18‐crown‐6. The concentrations of all ions obtained from the electropherograms were subjected to principal component analysis to classify the tested explosives on all tested surfaces, resulting in distinct cluster formations that could be used to verify (each) type of the explosive.     

Capillary batch injection analysis and capillary flow injection analysis with electrochemical detection: a comparative study of both methods

Capillary batch injection analysis (CBIA) and capillary flow injection analysis (CFIA) in combination with electrochemical detection as well as optical detection methods were studied and compared with respect to their performance. Despite the differences in technical equipment both techniques share the same idea of reproducible transport and washout of nanolitre samples over sensing surfaces. Thus the same electrochemical flow cell can be used for both CBIA and CFIA. The amperometric and potentiometric CBIA responses were studied under various experimental conditions in order to optimise the CBIA set-up. In particular, the density of the sample solution relative to that of the cell electrolyte had a remarkable effect on the hydrodynamic characteristics of CBIA. Dispersion in CFIA was investigated using on column UV-detection for electroosmotic flow (EOF) conditions as well as for gravity flow conditions. It is demonstrated for a 75 μm capillary that the relative band broadening of the sample plug under gravity flow is only about twice as large as under EOF. Furthermore, dispersion in a system that involves a chemical reaction between the sample and the carrier solution, namely CrO₇ ^2– and Fe²⁺ has been investigated by amperometric detection and exploited for the determination of dichromate microsamples.     

Evaluation of sample injection precision in respect to sensitivity in capillary electrophoresis using various injection modes

A comparative study was conducted to assess the injection precision in capillary electrophoresis for cationic analytes (arecoline, codeine, papaverine). The precision was measured in respect to methods sensitivity in various injection modes in capillary electrophoresis: standard hydrodynamic injection (3.45 kPa for 6 s), large volume sample stacking (3.45 kPa for 40 s), and field‐amplified sample injection (10 kV for 65 s). All measurements were conducted for aqueous solutions of standards to minimize the errors linked to the sample preparation step. The methods were submitted to precision assessment at three concentration levels: at the limit of quantification, three‐fold and ten‐fold of limit of quantification. The results were compared to those from high‐performance liquid chromatography as a reference technique. The field‐amplified sample injection method was shown to provide greatest sensitivity (quantification limits down to 4 ng/mL for all three tested compounds) but the lowest precision. High‐performance liquid chromatography was established as the most reliable technique (coefficient of variation in all intraday experiments was below 1%). It was also shown that with a use of large volume sample injection technique, similar sensitivity as in high‐performance liquid chromatography can be easily reached.     

Simultaneous separation and analysis of camptothecin alkaloids in real samples by large‐volume sample stacking in capillary electrophoresis

Large‐volume sample stacking (LVSS) is commonly used as an effective online preconcentration method in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). In this paper, the method LVSS combined with CZE has been proposed to analyze camptothecin alkaloids. Optimum separation can be achieved in the following conditions: pH 9.0; 25mm borate buffer containing 20 mm sulfobutylether‐β‐cyclodextrin and 20 mm ionic liquid 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyllimidazole l ‐lactate; applied voltage 20 kV; and capillary temperature 25 °C. The LVSS was optimized as hydrodynamic injection 4 s at 5.0 psi and the polarity switching time was 0.17 min. Under the above conditions, the analytes could be separated completely in <20 min and the detector response was increased compared with conventional hydrodynamic injection. The limits of detection were between 0.20 and 0.78 μg/L. A good linearity was obtained with correlation coefficients from 0.9991 to 0.9997. The recoveries ranged from 97.72 to 103.2% and the results demonstrated excellent accuracy. In terms of the migration time and peak area, the experiment was reproducible. The experimental results indicated that baseline separation can be obtained and this method is suitable for the quantitative determination of camptothecin alkaloids in real samples.     

A capillary electrophoresis chip with hydrodynamic sample injection for measurements from a continuous sample flow

A microchip-based capillary electrophoresis device supported by a microfluidic network made of poly(dimethylsiloxane), used for measuring target analytes from a continuous sample flow, is presented. The microsystem was fabricated by means of replica molding in combination with standard microfabrication technologies, resulting in microfluidic components and an electrochemical detector. A new hydrodynamic sample injection procedure is introduced, and the maximum number of consecutive measurements that can be made with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) capillary electrophoresis chip with amperometric detection is investigated with respect to reproducibility. The device features a high degree of functional integration, so the benefits associated with miniaturized analysis systems apply to it.     

Headspace‐single drop microextraction with a commercial capillary electrophoresis instrument

Automated coupling of headspace‐single drop microextraction (HS‐SDME) and CE has been demonstrated using a commercial CE instrument. When a drop hanging at the inlet tip of a capillary for CE is used as the acceptor phase, HS‐SDME becomes a simple but powerful sample pretreatment technique for CE before injection to facilitate sample cleanup and enrichment. By combining HS‐SDME with an on‐line sample preconcentration technique, large volume sample stacking using an electroosmotic flow pump, the sensitivity can be improved further. The overall enrichment factors for phenolic compounds were from 1900 to 3400. HS‐SDME large volume sample stacking using an electroosmotic flow pump was successfully applied to a red wine sample to obtain an LOD of 4 nM (0.8 ppb) for 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol which is a precursor for 2,4,6‐trichloroanisole causing the foul odor in wine called cork taint.     

Batch‐injection versus Flow‐injection Analysis Using Screen‐printed Electrodes: Determination of Ciprofloxacin in Pharmaceutical Formulations

This article highlights the potential use of multi‐walled carbon‐nanotube modified screen‐printed electrodes (SPEs) for the amperometric sensing of ciprofloxacin and compares the association of batch‐injection analysis (BIA) and flow‐injection analysis (FIA) with amperometric detection. Both analytical systems provided precise (RSD<5 %) and sensitive determination of ciprofloxacin (LOD<0.1 μmol L^?1) within wide linear range (up to 200 μmol L^?1). Accuracy of both methods was attested by recovery values (93–107 %) and comparison with capillary electrophoresis. The BIA system is completely portable (especially due to association with SPEs) and provided faster analyses (130 h^?1) and more sensitive detection than the FIA system due to the higher flow rates of injection.