Chitosan as cationic polyelectrolyte for the modification of electroosmotic flow and its utilization for the separation of inorganic anions by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Cationic polyelectrolyte of chitosan was used for the reversal of electroosmotic flow in capillary zone electrophoresis. The chitosan was dissolved in acetic acid solution, and stable electroosmotic flow was obtained at the chitosan concentrations between 50 and 300 microg/mL. Separation of inorganic anions was carried out using the dynamically coated capillary by capillary zone electrophoresis. Nine kinds of anions were separated and detected with the capillary. The electrophoretic mobility of the analyte anions decreased with increasing concentrations of chitosan in the migrating solution through ion-ion interaction, but the migration order of the analyte anions was not changed in the concentration range of the chitosan examined. The signal shape for the analyte anions was developed by using field-enhanced sample stacking with 10 mM sodium sulfate.     

Analysis of anabolic androgenic steroids in urine by full-capillary sample injection combined with a sweeping CE stacking method

This study describes an on-line stacking CE approach by sweeping with whole capillary sample filling for analyzing five anabolic androgenic steroids in urine samples. The five anabolic steroids for detection were androstenedione, testosterone, epitestosterone, boldenone, and clostebol. Anabolic androgenic steroids are abused in sport doping because they can promote muscle growth. Therefore, a sensitive detection method is imperatively required for monitoring the urine samples of athletes. In this research, an interesting and reliable stacking capillary electrophoresis method was established for analysis of anabolic steroids in urine. After liquid–liquid extraction by n-hexane, the supernatant was dried and reconstituted with 30 mM phosphate buffer (pH 5.00) and loaded into the capillary by hydrodynamic injection (10 psi, 99.9 s). The stacking and separation were simultaneously accomplished at ?20 kV in phosphate buffer (30 mM, pH 5.0) containing 100 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate and 40 % methanol. During the method validation, calibration curves were linear (r?≥?0.990) over a range of 50–1,000 ng/mL for the five analytes. In the evaluation of precision and accuracy for this method, the absolute values of the RSD and the RE in the intra-day (n?=?3) and inter-day (n?=?5) analyses were all less than 6.6 %. The limit of detection for the five analytes was 30 ng/mL (S/N?=?5, sampling 99.9 s at 10 psi). Compared with simple MECK, this stacking method possessed a 108- to 175-fold increase in sensitivity. This simple and sensitive stacking method could be used as a powerful tool for monitoring the illegal use of doping.     

Stacking and low-temperature technique in nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Low-temperature and ambient-temperature nonaqueous stacking techniques in capillary electrophoresis (CE) are described for the first time. A low-temperature bath was used to control the temperature from ambient to subzero degrees, by which a novel hyphenated method, low-temperature bath-nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis stacking (LTB-NACE stacking) is demonstrated. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (3,4-MDMA) was determined at a concentration of 4.7 x 10(-6) M (at a 92.1% confidence level) by normal nonaqueous capillary zone electrophoresis (NACZE) and this was improved to 2.6 x 10(-8) M and 5.0 x 10(-9) M, respectively, when the NACZE stacking and LTB-NACZE stacking techniques were applied. The content of 3,4-MDMA in an illicit drug and a suspect urine sample was readily detected. Upon application of the LTB to the separation of isomers the resolution (R) for the separation of 2,3-/3,4-MDMA was improved from 0.6 (LTB, 22 degrees C) to 1.6 (LTB, -55 degrees C) and for (+)3,4-MDMA/(-)3,4-MDMA, from 0.4 (LTB, 25 degrees C) to 1.0 (LTB, -10 degrees C).     

Stacking and separation of aspartic acid enantiomers under discontinuous system by capillary electrophoresis with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection

We describe the stacking and separation of d- and l-aspartic acid (Asp) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with light-emitting diode-induced fluorescence detection (LEDIF). In the presence of cyanide, d- and l-Asp were derivatized with naphthalene-2,3-dicarboxaldehyde (NDA) to form fluorescent derivatives prior to CE-LEDIF. The separation of NDA-derivatized d- and l-Asp was accomplished using a discontinuous system - buffer vials contained a solution of 0.6% poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), 150 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and 60 mM hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (Hp-β-CD), while a capillary was filled with a solution of 150 mM SDS and 60 mM Hp-β-CD. The role of PEO, Hp-β-CD, and SDS is to act as a concentrating media, as a chiral selector, and as a pseudostationary phase, respectively. This discontinuous system could be employed for the stacking of 600 nL of NDA-derivatized d- and l-Asp without the loss of chiral resolution. The stacking mechanism is mainly based on the difference in viscosity between sample zone and PEO as well as SDS sweeping. The limits of detection at signal-to-noise of 3 for d- and l-Asp were down to 2.4 and 2.5 × 10⁻¹⁰ M, respectively. Compared to normal sample injection volume (25 nL), this stacking approach provided a 100- and 110-fold improvement in the sensitivity of d- and l-Asp, respectively. This method was further applied for determining d- and l-Asp in cerebrospinal fluid, soymilk, and beer.     

Sample stacking with matrix removal for the determination of paraquat, diquat and difenzoquat in water by capillary electrophoresis

Conditions for the simultaneous determination of paraquat, diquat and difenzoquat by capillary zone electrophoresis using a stacking technique in a chemically modified capillary have been established. To apply the stacking method with sample matrix removal for the analysis of cations, an anodic electroosmotic flow is mandatory. For quats, 50 mM acetic acid-ammonium acetate (pH 4.0) with 5% (v/v) methanol as electrophoretic buffer and the addition of 0.8 mM cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as wall capillary organic modifier was proposed. Field polarity reversal time was optimised for several sample matrices. Detection was carried out at 220 and 255 nm. Detection limits, based on a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1, were lower than 15 microg l(-1) for standards in Milli-Q water and two to ten times higher for drinking water samples. Run-to-run and day-to-day reproducibility have been established. The method was successfully applied to the determination of the three herbicides in spiked drinking water.     

Determination of chlorophenoxy acid herbicides by capillary electrophoresis with integrated potential gradient detection

This report describes separation and detection of chlorophenoxy acid herbicides spiked in drinking water by the technique combining solid-phase extraction, field-amplified sample stacking, capillary electrophoresis, and potential gradient detection. The herbicide solution (400 mL) was concentrated to 0.1 mL by the solid-phase extraction procedure. The buffer containing 3 mM ammonia and 0.3 mM hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin was adjusted to pH 9.0 with ammonia. The sample solution was injected into the capillary to 30% of the whole length, and -9 kV and 9 kV were employed for field-amplified sample stacking and separation, respectively. The herbicides were baseline separated and the detection limits with the above combined techniques were in the range of 1-4 x 10(-2) ng/mL.     

On-line flow sample stacking in a flow injection analysis-capillary electrophoresis system: 2000-fold enhancement of detection sensitivity for priority phenol pollutants

A flow injection analysis-capillary electrophoresis system has been used for on-line flow stacking of 11 US Environmental Protection Agency priority phenol pollutants. Samples containing low concentrations of phenols dissolved in deionised water are continuously delivered to the capillary opening by means of a peristaltic pump. The sample components stack at the boundary between the highly conductive separation electrolyte and the introduced sample. By selecting an appropriate electrolyte and stacking conditions the movement of the electrolyte solution inside the capillary can be reduced, thereby improving the stacking efficiency. The electrolyte used here contained 20 mM phosphate, 8% 2-butanol, and 0.001% hexamethonium bromide at pH 11.95, and the stacking was carried out at 2 kV for 240 s. These conditions allowed up to 2000-fold preconcentration of the selected phenols. No matrix removal was necessary.     

Quantitative study on selective stacking of zwitterions in large-volume sample matrix by moving reaction boundary in capillary electrophoresis

The paper advanced the theoretical procedures for quantitative design on selective stacking of zwitterions in full capillary sample matrix by a cathodic-direction moving reaction boundary (MRB) in capillary electrophoresis (CE) under control of electroosmotic flow (EOF). With the procedures, we conducted the theoretical computations on the selective stacking of two test analytes of L-histidine (His) and L-tryptophan (Trp) by the MRB created with 30 mM pH 3.0 formic acid-NaOH buffer and 2-80 mM sodium formate. The results revealed the following three predictions. At first, the MRB cannot stack His and Trp plugs if less than 12.5 mM sodium formate is used to form the MRB and prepare the sample matrix. Second, the MRB can stack His and/or Trp sample plugs completely if higher than 50 mM sodium formate is chosen to form the MRB. Third, the MRB can only focus His plug completely, but stack Trp plug partially if 20-50 mM sodium formate is used; this implied the complete MRB-induced selective stacking to His rather than Trp. All the three predictions were quantitatively proved by the experiments. With great dilution of sample matrix and control of EOF, controllable, simultaneous and MRB-induced selective stacking and separation of zwitterions were achieved. The theoretical results hold evident significances to the quantitative design of selective stacking conditions and the increase of detection sensitivity of zwitterions in CE. In addition, the control of EOF by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) can evidently improve the stacking efficiency to both His and Trp.     

Online preconcentration and determination of chondroitin sulfate,dermatan sulfate and hyaluronic acid in biological and cosmetic samples using capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis with large‐volume sample stacking using an electroosmotic flow pump was developed for the determination of chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid. Central composite design was used to simultaneously optimize the parameters for capillary electrophoresis separation. The optimized capillary electrophoresis conditions were 200 mM sodium dihydrogen phosphate, 200 mM butylamine, and 0.5% w/v polyethylene glycol as a background electrolyte, pH 4 and ‐16 kV. Exploiting large‐volume sample stacking using an electroosmotic flow pump, the sensitivity of the proposed capillary electrophoresis system coupled with UV detection was significantly improved with limits of detection of 3, 5, 1 mg/L for chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid, respectively. The developed method was applied to the determination of chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronic acid in cell culture media, cerebrospinal fluid, cosmetic products, and supplementary samples with highly acceptable accuracy and precision. Therefore, the proposed capillary electrophoresis approach was found to be simple, rapid, and reliable for the determination of chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid in cell culture media, cerebrospinal fluid, cosmetic, and supplementary samples without sample pretreatment.     

Analysis of naphthalenesulfonate compounds by cyclodextrin-mediated capillary electrophoresis with sample stacking

This study systematically investigates the optimal conditions for analyzing the positional isomers of multi-charged naphthalenesulfonate compounds by cyclodextrin-mediated capillary electrophoresis (CE). Specifically, this work employs large-volume sample injection with the electrode polarity switching technique. The most effective separation and sample stacking conditions were 15 mM borate buffer with a mixture of beta- and gamma-cyclodextrin (concentration ratio 3:7 mM) at pH 9.2, and the sample hydrodynamic injection of up to 60 s at 3 p.s.i. (around 1.8 microl, and 1 p.s.i. = 6.9 kPa). Significantly selective and sensitive improvements were observed and a more than 100-fold enrichment was achieved (based on peak area). The reproducibility of migration time and quantitative results of stacking CE can be improved by using an internal standard. The quantitation limits of these naphthalenesulfonate isomers, based on a signal-to-noise ratio above 10, can be about 4 microg/l with UV detection. This method was successfully applied to determine the trace amount of naphthalenesulfonate isomers in a spiked drinking water sample.     

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.     

Stacking and quantitative analysis of lovastatin in urine samples by the transient moving chemical reaction boundary method in capillary electrophoresis

A simple, sensitive, and useful concentration method for lovastatin (Lvt) in urine has been developed based on the transient moving chemical reaction boundary method (tMCRBM) in capillary electrophoresis. The MCRB is formed with acidic sample buffer (Gly-HCl) and alkaline running buffer (Gly-NaOH). The following optimal conditions were determined for stacking and separation: electrophoretic buffer of 100 mM Gly- NaOH (pH 11.52), sample buffer of 20 mM Gly-HCl (pH 4.93), fused-silica capillary of 76 cm × 75-μm i.d (67 cm from detector), sample injection at 14 mbar for 3 min. A 21- to 26-fold increase in peak height was achieved for detection of Lvt in urine under the optimal conditions compared with normal capillary zone electrophoresis. By combining the sample pretreatment procedure with the stacking method, the sensitivity of Lvt in urine was increased by 105- to 130-fold. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for Lvt in urine were decreased to 8.8 ng/mL and 29.2 ng/mL, respectively. The intra-day and inter-day precision values (expressed as RSD) were 2.23–3.61% and 4.03–5.05%, respectively. The recoveries of the analyte at three concentration levels changed from 82.65 to 100.49%.     

Large-volume stacking with polarity switching and sweeping for chlorophenols and chlorophenoxy acids in capillary electrophoresis

This paper describes approaches for stacking large volumes of sample solutions containing a mixture of chlorophenols and chlorophenoxyacetic acids as their anions in capillary zone electrophoresis, and compares results to standard capillary electrophoresis (CE) and normal stacking modes. In order to increase the amount of sample injected beyond the optimal conditions and maintain high resolution, the sample introduction buffer must be removed after the stacking process is completed. This is achieved by pumping the sample buffer out of the column using polarity switching. Large sample volumes are loaded by hydrodynamic injection, then stacked at the injection buffer/run electrolyte interface, followed by the removal of the large plug of low-conductivity sample matrix from the capillary column using polarity switching and finally the separation of the stacked anions in a basic buffer (pH 8.65). Around 10- and 40-fold improvement of sensitivity was achieved by normal stacking and large-volume stacking with polarity switching, respectively, when compared to the standard CE analysis. Sweeping-micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) was also investigated for the purpose of comparison to the stacking technique. The method should be suitable for the analysis of these chemical compound classes in industrial chlorophenoxyacetic acid manufacture.     

Separation of alkylbenzyl quaternary ammonium compounds by capillary zone electrophoresis with sample stacking injection

Summary A systematic investigation of operational buffer systems, sample preparation and instrument parameters for achieving the best possible performance for determinating an homologous series of N-benzyl-N-alkyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride compounds by capillary zone electrophoresis with direct UV detection. The most effective separation was achieved within 3.5 min with the addition of acetonitrile (40%) in a phosphate buffer (20 mM pH 5.2) using a 40 cm fused-silica capillary operating at 25 KV and 20°C. Degassing of all electrolyte solutions and samples was very important. The linearity and repeatability for each compounds were satisfactory. To improve detection limits, on-column sample preconcentration, sample stacking, was investigated achieving a tenfold enrichment factor and quantitation limits about 10⁻⁷M.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis for the determination of light-absorbing anions in environmental samples.

A rapid and simple method for separation and determination of inorganic anions by capillary zone electrophoresis was described. The detection was carried out directly with a diode array detector. The experimental conditions, such as concentration of carrier electrolyte, capillary length, voltage, and temperature were optimized. In order to improve selectivity, different organic modifiers were also investigated. The baseline separation of 10 light-absorbing anions was accomplished within 3.5 min with a background electrolyte consisting of 50 mM sodium tetraborate containing 5% MeOH. Linear plots were obtained in the concentration range of 0.1-10 microg/ml. With sample stacking injection, the quantitation limits of the anions were found to be in the range of 0.02-0.1 microg/ml. The proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of inorganic anions in environmental samples and in effluents of a power plant.     

Capillary electrophoresis of nonprotein and protein amino acids without derivatization

An efficient separation of eleven nonprotein amino acids (NPAAs) and three protein amino acids containing aromatic moieties was achieved by capillary electrophoresis without derivatization. The fourteen amino acids were well separated with a 100 mM sodium phosphate run buffer (pH 2.0) using a 57 cm fused-silica capillary (50 microm ID, 50 cm effective length) at 20 degrees C. With an electric field of 351 V/cm, the time needed for the separation was less than 20 min. Under optimum conditions, excellent linear responses were obtained in the concentration range of 5-100 microM, with the linear correlation coefficient ranging from 0.9785 or greater. The relative standard deviations of the migration times and the corrected peak areas were found to be 1.5-3.9% and 8.0-11.5%, respectively. In order to improve the limit of detection (LOD), simple stacking and large volume stacking using an EOF pump (LVSEP) methods were used. Improved LODs were about 300 nM in stacking and below 15 nM for five small NPAAs in LVSEP.     

Direct chiral resolution of lactic acid in food products by capillary electrophoresis

Chiral resolution of native DL-lactic acid was performed by capillary electrophoresis using 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector. Various factors affecting chiral resolution, migration time, and peak area of lactic acid were studied. The running conditions for optimum separation of lactic acid were found to be 90 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) containing 240 mM 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin with an effective voltage of -30 kV at 16 degrees C, using direct detection at 200 nm. In order to enhance the sensitivity, sample injection was done under a pressure of 50 mbar for 200 s. On-line sample concentration was accomplished by sample stacking. With this system, D- and L-lactic acids in food products were analyzed successfully.     

Analysis of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates by capillary zone electrophoresis with large-volume sample stacking

A systematic investigation of optimal conditions for determining the homologues of linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS) by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using the large-volume sample stacking technique was presented. The most effective sample stacking and separation conditions was 20 mM borate buffer with 30% acetonitrile at pH 9.0, and the sample hydrodynamic injection of up to 90 s at 4 p.s.i. (1 p.s.i. = 6,892.86 Pa) (around 711 nl). Under such conditions, approximately a 100-fold enrichment factor was achieved based on peak heights. The reproducibility of migration time and quantitative results of stacking CZE can be improved by using internal standards. Quantitation limits of the homologues of LAS were 0.002-0.01 mg/l under these enrichment conditions. The analysis of real samples of laundry and dishwashing detergents was performed. The established high-performance liquid chromatography method was applied to evaluate the stacking CZE method, and compatible results were obtained.     

Development of a capillary electrophoresis-based assay of sirtuin enzymes

Sirtuins are a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+))-dependent enzymes catalyzing the deacetylation of acetyl-lysine residues of histones and other proteins. Three 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl (Fmoc)-labeled peptide substrates derived from the amino acid sequence of p53, i.e. Fmoc-KK(Ac)-NH(2), Fmoc-KK(Ac)L-NH(2) and Fmoc-RHKK(Ac)-NH(2), were synthesized and evaluated as substrates of the human isoenzyme SIRT1. The acetylated and respective deacetylated peptides as well as nicotinamide as the reaction product of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide were separated by capillary electrophoresis in a fused-silica capillary using 200 mM phosphate-Tris buffer, pH 2.7. Sodium hydroxide-mediated sample stacking was performed in order to overcome peak asymmetry due to the high salt and acid content of the sample as well as to enhance UV detection sensitivity. The assay was subsequently validated. Upon incubation of the acetylated peptides for 60 min in the presence of 2.5 U of SIRT1 at least 87% of the peptides was deacetylated, indicating that the new derivatives are efficient substrates of the enzyme.