An electrochemical detector cell for open tubular liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis

Summary An electrochemical detector cell has been developed for micro-flow separation systems (OTLC, CE). The cell contains two electrodes, a disk-shaped working electrode made from a carbon fiber bundle, and a tubular Ag/AgCl quasi-reference electrode. The effective cell volume and the coulometric yield have been determined, for different electrode diameters and at different flow rates, in an OTLC system. An effective cell volume of less than 1 nl was observed. The applicability of the cell was demonstrated with the detection of OPA-derivatized amino acids. For use in CE, the cell was equipped with an additional compartment, housing a semi-permeable joint for the decoupling of the high electric field used for the electrophoretic separation. Results are shown on the determination of catecholamines by CE with electrochemical detection. Detection limits with both OTLC and CE were well below 1 fmole.