Integration of Separation Capillary with a Au Film Electrode and an Etched Decoupler in Amperometric Capillary Electrophoresis

Introduced in this article is fabrication of an integrated capillary for the applications of electrochemical detection in capillary electrophoresis. The separation section, voltage decoupler, and working electrode were composed into a single section of capillary. The porous decoupler was constructed by HF etching till the thickness of the capillary wall less than 20 μm. The working electrode was prepared by sputtering Au-films on the outlet of the capillary. The integration of the separation capillary with a complete detection assembly improves the convenience for the routine application of electrochemical measurements in capillary electrophoresis. For a 100-μm-i.d. capillary, the theoretical plate number of catechol and the migration time reproducibility can reach 120,000 and 1.9% RSD, respectively. The linear range exceeds 3 order of magnitude and the detection limit is lower than 0.65 μM.     

Six orders of magnitude dynamic range in capillary electrophoresis with ultrasensitive laser-induced fluorescence detection

An ultrasensitive laser-induced fluorescence detector was used with capillary electrophoresis for the study of 5-carboxy-tetramethylrhodamine. The raw signal from the detector provided roughly three orders of magnitude dynamic range. The signal saturated at high analyte concentrations due to the dead time associated with the single-photon counting avalanche photodiode employed in the detector. The signal can be corrected for the detector dead time, providing an additional order of magnitude dynamic range. To further increase dynamic range, two fiber-optic beam-splitters were cascaded to generate a primary signal and two attenuated signals, each monitored by a single-photon counting avalanche photodiode. The combined signals from the three photodiodes are reasonably linear from the concentration detection limit of 3 pM to 10 μM, the maximum concentration investigated, a range of 3,000,000. Mass detection limits were 150 yoctomoles injected onto the capillary.     

Rejection of capillary wall background light in an on-column confocal fluorescence detector

Minimization of the background arising from the capillary wall is of extreme importance in laser induced fluorescence on-column detection for capillary electrophoresis. A sensitive confocal fluorescence detection scheme is described. The intense capillary wall background light was effectively rejected by an adjustable precision slit in a confocal configuration. Rhodamine 640 was used as a standard fluorophore. Detection linearity was demonstrated over four orders of magnitude of concentration and the concentration detection limit was 3.38 x 10(-11) M.     

Determination of poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid in Bacillus thuringiensis by capillary zone electrophoresis with indirect ultraviolet absorbance detection

A new capillary electrophoresis method for determining poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) in Bacillus thuringiensis was established. Poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid in samples was hydrolyzed by sulphuric acid and neutralized by Ba(OH)2. The content of produced beta-hydroxybutyrate was then determined by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with indirect UV detection at 254 nm. With 5 mM p-hydroxybenzoate and 0.5 mM tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) at pH 8.0 as carrier electrolyte, beta-hydroxybutyrate can be determined within 6 min. Standard regression equation was made by beta-hydroxybutyrate, and the linear range was 2-1000 microg/ml. The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for migration time and peak area are both less than 1.0%. The detection limit for beta-hydroxybutyrate was 0.2 microg/ml, which is two to three orders of magnitude lower than that of the gas chromatography (GC) method. The capillary electrophoresis method was successfully applied to determine poly-beta-hydroxybutyric acid in fermentation broth and single colony. The added standard recovery was 96%.     

Sub-femtomole determination of DABSYL-amino acids with capillary zone electrophoresis separation and laser-induced thermo-optical absorbance detection

Fifteen amino acids are determined as the DABSYL (4-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene-4'-sulfonyl chloride) derivative with capillary zone electrophoresis separation and low-power laser-induced thermo-optical detection. Separation efficiencies are on the order of 200 000 theoretical plates and the detection limit, 3 s, is 200 attomole of glycine injected onto the column. At the detection limit, 0.7 attomole of glycine is present within the 40 picoliter detection volume.     

Ionic liquids as selectors for the enhanced detection of proteins

Herein, we report an approach for protein detection enhanced by ionic liquid (IL) selectors in capillary electrophoresis (CE), with avidin as a model protein. Hydrophilic ILs were added into the running buffer of CE and acted as selectors for sample injection, enriching the positive target and excluding the negative from the capillary. When using 3 % (v/v) IL selector, the detection sensitivity of avidin was improved by over one order of magnitude, while the interference from protein adsorption was effectively avoided, even in an uncoated capillary. The electrochemiluminescence method was initially used for IL-based CE with low noise that was independent of the IL concentration, making ILs almost transparent as additives in the electrophoresis buffer.     

Strategies for capillary electrophoresis: Method development and validation for pharmaceutical and biological applications—Updated and completely revised edition

This review is in support of the development of selective, precise, fast, and validated capillary electrophoresis (CE) methods. It follows up a similar article from 1998, Wätzig H, Degenhardt M, Kunkel A. “Strategies for capillary electrophoresis: method development and validation for pharmaceutical and biological applications,” pointing out which fundamentals are still valid and at the same time showing the enormous achievements in the last 25 years. The structures of both reviews are widely similar, in order to facilitate their simultaneous use. Focusing on pharmaceutical and biological applications, the successful use of CE is now demonstrated by more than 600 carefully selected references. Many of those are recent reviews; therefore, a significant overview about the field is provided. There are extra sections about sample pretreatment related to CE and microchip CE, and a completely revised section about method development for protein analytes and biomolecules in general. The general strategies for method development are summed up with regard to selectivity, efficiency, precision, analysis time, limit of detection, sample pretreatment requirements, and validation.     

Analysis of environmental pollutants metabolized from pesticides using capillary electrophoresis with multiphoton-excited fluorescence detection

Multiphoton-excited fluorescence by diode laser of continuous wave was uniquely developed for capillary electrophoresis to determine aniline species metabolized from pesticides. To achieve 2-photon excitation fluorescence, derivatization procedure was performed using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). The concentration ratio of FITC to the analytes was discussed for quantitative analysis. Several parameters that influenced separation quality of capillary zone electrophoresis were investigated, such as applied voltage, buffer pH value and concentration, etc. Under the optimized conditions, four pesticide residues were completely separated and determined within 4 min, with detection limit down to zepptomole level (calculated detection volume: 45.0 aL). Quantitative analyses exhibited excellent linear dynamic relationship in the range of about two orders of magnitude. The established method was further validated by testing spiked lake water sample.     

毛细管电泳中样品的在线富集

由于毛细管进样体积小以及在柱检测光程短,极大地限制了毛细管电泳检测灵敏度的提高.为了提高毛细管电泳的检测灵敏度,多种样品富集的方法得以发展.本文对近年来毛细管电泳的样品预富集方法与应用作一简明的综述。     

Detection of duck hepatitis B virus DNA fragments using on-column intercalating dye labeling with capillary electrophoresis-laser-induced fluorescence.

A rapid on-column DNA labeling technique is used to detect viral restriction DNA fragments by capillary electrophoresis-laser induced fluorescence detection. Intercalating dyes such as POPO3 or ethidium homodimer-2 are incorporated into the detection buffer. The cationic dyes migrate into the capillary during electrophoresis and bind to the oppositely migrating DNA fragments. A post-column sheath-flow fluorescence detector is used in the experiment. Excellent labeling efficiency is achieved at minimal background fluorescence by diluting the dyes to between 1 x 10(-7) M and 5 x 10(-7) M in a buffer with low ionic strength relative to the running buffer within the capillary. This dilute sheath-flow buffer allows stacking of dye molecules inside the capillary when an electric field is applied. Calibration curves using a series of DNA size markers (between 72 and 1353 base pairs) were linear over an order of magnitude in DNA concentration. Sensitivity also increased linearly with fragment length, and detection limits ranged from 4 x 10(-14) M to 5 x 10(-13) M for the size-standards. Analysis of cloned viral DNA using duck hepatitis B virus demonstrated a concentration detection limit of 3.9 x 10(-16) M. Last, the technique produced very high separation efficiency, 14 x 10(6) theoretical plates which is greater than 47 x 10(6) plates m-1, for the duck hepatitis B viral genome.     

Conductivity detection in capillary electrophoresis

Among electrochemical detection methods in capillary electrophoresis, conductometric methods are of specific interest for the determination of inorganic species. This is due to the fact that inorganic ions exhibit a high equivalent conductivity which corresponds to the analytical signal in conductivity detection. Indirect optical absorption methods, which are widely used in capillary electrophoretic ion analyses, become less sensitive with smaller capillary dimensions and thus have disadvantages in electrokinetic chip separation technologies.Conductivity detection for capillary electrophoresis is performed either through galvanic contact or in a contactless mode. Techniques using a galvanic contact of the sample ions with the measuring electrode are performed either on-capillary without decoupling of the separation high voltage, or off-capillary after grounding the separation voltage in order to avoid interferences. This technology is specifically important when a suppressor is used prior to detection. Most contactless methods use oscillometric techniques in order to obtain the analytical signal.This review discusses the theoretical and instrumental background of conductivity detection in capillary electrophoresis and reports on recent aspects and applications using conductometric detection methods for capillary zone electrophoresis.     

Direct Determination of Glyphosate in Environmental Waters Using Capillary Electrophoresis with Electrospray Condensation Nucleation Light Scattering Detection

An electrospray condensation nucleation light scattering detector (ESI-CNLSD) was coupled with capillary electrophoresis (CE) for analysis of glyphosate, a chemical of agricultural interest, which is otherwise difficult to detect owing to its lack of chromophores or fluorophores. To reduce the absorption of glyphosate on the CE capillary and to reduce the separation time, an N-cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) pre-rinsing CE method was developed here. The protocol consisted of 15 min pre-rinsing of the capillary before analysis with CTAB solution and 5 min with ammonium acetate buffer at pH 2.8. The capillary inner wall coating established by this treatment lasted up to 10 h without bleeding to interfere with CNLSD signal. Calibration data were linear over two orders of magnitude, the instrument detection limit was 0.06 µg/mL and the method detection limit was 0.2 µg/mL. The method was applied to the analysis of local (rural area) lake water and commercial herbicide samples.     

Applications of capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence for analysis of dGMP–BPDE adduct

DNA adducts are thought to be crucial to the initiation of mutational and carcinogenic processes. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been identified as one major source of carcinogenic risk since they can bind to DNA thus forming an adduct. Quantification of this adduct is important because it may correlate to the risk for cancer development. In this study, the adduct formed between 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate and benzo[ a]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) was analyzed by capillary electrophoresis. Both capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) modes with laser-induced fluorescence detection were used for the separation and analysis of DNA adducts. The exploration of capillary electrophoresis in several modes provided different separation mechanisms in which the stereochemical forms of the adduct could be separated. The best result obtained was using a coated fused-silica capillary in Tris-TAPS buffer, which provided high sensitivity with a detection limit of 2.5x10(-9) mol L(-1). MECC separation of the BPDE adduct, although less sensitive, provided an efficient enantioselective separation option.     

毛细管电泳多脉冲溶出安培检测方法的研究

 摘要：将用于电化学检测的三电极与驱动电泳分离的电化学系统的接地电极在毛细管出口处的外面作适当的布置,可最大程度地减少高压电场对安培检测的干扰。多阶脉冲溶出安培检测方式提高了电流检测灵敏度,并可在一定程度上通过不同的溶出电位鉴别分离组分。将该方法应用于铜、锌、铅、铊、镉等离子的毛细管电泳分离,得到了较满意的结果。     

Continuous wave-based multiphoton excitation fluorescence for capillary electrophoresis

It was reported that a novel detection method, continuous wave (CW)-based multiphoton excitation (MPE) fluorescence detection with diode laser (DL), has been firstly proposed for capillary electrophoresis (CE). Special design of end-column detection configuration proved to be superior to on-column type, considering the detection sensitivity. Three different kinds of fluorescent tags that were widely used as molecular label in bio-analysis, such as small-molecule dye, fluorescent protein and nano particle or also referred to as quantum dot (QD), have been evaluated as samples for the constructed detection scheme. Quantitative analyses were also performed using rhodamine species as tests, which revealed dynamic linear range over two orders of magnitude, with detection limit down to zeptomole-level. Simultaneous detection of fluorescent dyestuffs with divergent excitation and emission wavelengths in a broad range showed advantage of this scheme over conventional laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. Further investigations on CW-MPE fluorescence detection with diode laser for capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) separations of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled amino acids indicated good prospect of this detection approach in various micro or nano-column liquid phase separation technologies.     

Systems of capillary electrophoresis in electrochemiluminescence analysis

The results obtained in different scientific centers from 2000 to July, 2009 on the analytical application of electrogenerated chemiluminiscence in systems of capillary electrophoresis are summarized; the trend of development in this field is shown. The peculiarities of the operation of tandem systems using capillary electrophoresis with detection by electrogenerated chemiluminescence are considered, including the socalled lab-on-a-chip concept; systematized data on analytes are presented. The main problems arising in the determination of substances in liquid samples and the trends in the development of instruments for capillary electrophoresis with detection by electrogenerated chemiluminescence are discussed.     

A microchip electrophoresis system with integrated in-plane electrodes for contactless conductivity detection

We present a new approach for contactless conductivity detection for microchip-based capillary electrophoresis (CE). The detector integrates easily with well-known microfabrication techniques for glass-based microfluidic devices. Platinum electrodes are structured in recesses in-plane with the microchannel network after glass etching, which allows precise positioning and batch fabrication of the electrodes. A thin glass wall of 10-15 microm separates the electrodes and the buffer electrolyte in the separation channel to achieve the electrical insulation necessary for contactless operation. The effective separation length is 34 mm, with a channel width of 50 microm and depth of 12 microm. Microchip CE devices with conductivity detection were characterized in terms of sensitivity and linearity of response, and were tested using samples containing up to three small cations. The limit of detection for K+ (18 microM) is good, though an order of magnitude higher than for comparable capillary-based systems and one recently reported example of contactless conductivity on chip. However, an integrated field-amplified stacking step could be employed prior to CE to preconcentrate the sample ions by a factor of four.     

Synchronization of separation and determination based on multichannel mode-filtered light detection with capillary electrophoresis.

A novel method for the synchronization of separation and determination is described, in which a mode-filtered light detector is used as an online detector in capillary electrophoresis. An instrument is described which has been developed for this purpose. The round capillary used in conventional capillary electrophoresis is replaced by an annular column, which is constructed from a naked optical fibre inserted into a fused-silica capillary. In fact, the annular electrophoresis column itself forms part of the mode-filtered light sensor. Along the side of the annular column are several detection channels for gathering and transmitting the mode-filtered light to a charge-coupled device (CCD). Every channel provides information on the sample from the point at which it is located. Using capillary isotachophoresis incorporating the annular column, the analytes in a sample containing alanine (10.0 mM) and glycine (9.7 mM) were simultaneously separated and determined using multichannel mode-filtered light detection with a detection limit of 1.5 mM.     

毛细管电泳-间接激光光热干涉检测方法研究

本文提出毛细管电泳-间接激光光热干涉检测新方法。采用吸收系数大、吸收波长与泵浦激光(He-Ne)波长匹配性能较好的亚甲蓝溶液为背景电解质溶液,加入乙醇减少了毛细管壁对亚甲蓝的吸附作用。并将间接光热干涉检测法用于氨基酸毛细管电泳分离检测,对赖氨酸检测限达5×10^-6mol/L(S/N=2).     

High-throughput protein analysis by multiplexed sodium dodecyl sulfate capillary gel electrophoresis with UV absorption detection

We have developed a novel, high-throughput approach for molecular mass determination of proteins from 14 200 to 116 000 based upon multiplexed, absorbance-based capillary electrophoresis. Via capillary multiplexing, 96 samples were analyzed simultaneously within 30 min. Detection with ultraviolet light obviates the need for protein staining or derivatization. The detection limit of the system was estimated at 5 microg/ml bovine serum albumin (BSA) when sampled from 12.5 mM Tris-HCl. The linear dynamic range was over two orders of magnitude from 5 microg/ml to 1000 microg/ml for BSA. Better than 5% sizing accuracy for protein molecular mass determination and excellent run-to-run and day-to-day reproducibility was obtainable with the described method.