Indirect fluorescence detection of phenolic compounds by capillary electrophoresis on a glass device

A micromachined capillary electrophoresis system has been fabricated on a glass device for the separation and indirect fluorescence detection of phenols. Using this device two phenols viz., 2,4-dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol, were separated within 12 s compared to under 19 min on a conventional capillary electrophoresis system using direct ultraviolet detection. The precision of the glass device ranged from 12.7%–16.7% compared to 0.42%–4.9% for the conventional system. Both systems showed good linearity in the concentration range of 0.8– 6.38 mM for the glass device and 5–130 μM for the conventional system. The relationship between temperature and high voltage with baseline drift was also investigated. These results provide a foundation for the development of a miniaturised chemical analysis system for the on-line analysis of phenols in water. Received: 24 January 2000 / Revised: 27 March 2000 / Accepted: 29 March 2000     

An automated fluid-transport device for a microfluidic system

An automated fluid-transport device for a chip-based capillary electrophoresis system has been developed. The device mainly consists of six peristaltic micropumps, two vacuum micropumps, microvalves, multi-way joints, titanium tubes, and a macro-to-micro connector. Various solutions used for the cleaning and activation of chip channels, and electrophoresis separation, are allowed to automatically transport to chip reservoirs by the electric control module. The performance of the whole system was characterized by the analysis of fluorescein sodium using chip electrophoresis with LED-induced fluorescence detection. The peak-height variation (RSD) was 3.8% in six cycles of analyses. Additionally, compared with conventional manual operation, the developed device can spare 60% time for chip pretreatment. This microdevice offers high-efficiency pretreatment for microchips, thereby resulting in a remarkable improvement of analytical capacity for batch samples.     

Compact polytetrafluoroethylene assembly-type capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

We have developed a compact polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) assembly-type capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence (CL) detection system. Luminol-microperoxidase-hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescence reaction was adopted. The device is rectangular in shape (60 mm x 40 mm x 30 mm) and includes three reservoirs (sample, migration buffer, and detection reservoirs) with electrodes. The detection reservoir includes an optical fiber to transport light at the capillary tip to a photomultiplier tube. Isoluminol isothiocyanate (ILITC) was analyzed as a model using this device with fused-silica or polytetrafluoroethylene capillary tubes 10 cm in length. We also used the sample reservoir as a reactor for an immune reaction between anti-human serum albumin immobilized on glass beads and isoluminol isothiocyanate-labeled human serum albumin. The present polytetrafluoroethylene assembly with the capillary tube was useful as a palm-sized analysis device for separation and detection, as well as a reactor.     

Integrated circuit microchip system with multiplex capillary electrophoresis module for DNA analysis

In this paper, we describe the use of an integrated circuit (IC) microchip system as a detector in multiplex capillary electrophoresis (CE). This combination of multiplex capillary gel electrophoresis and the IC microchip technology represents a novel approach to DNA analysis on the microchip platform. Separation of DNA ladders using a multiplex CE microsystem of four capillaries was monitored simultaneously using the IC microchip system. The IC microchip-CE system has advantages such as low cost, rapid analysis, compactness, and multiplex capability, and has great potential as an alternative system to conventional capillary array gel electrophoresis systems based on charge-coupled device (CCD) detection.     

芯片毛细管电泳中组分的迁移行为及其特征

在自组装的芯片毛细管电泳-激光诱导荧光检测装置上,以单个染料和一组荧光素异硫氰酸酯(FITC)标记的氨基酸为对象,研究了芯片毛细管电泳与传统毛细管电泳之间的差别,考察了玻璃芯片上微通道内的伏安特性以及抑制电压、进样方式和检测点的位置等对芯片毛细管电泳分离分析的影响,特别注意到了其有别于传统毛细管电泳的各种行为特征.     

基于复合型微流控芯片的紫外检测毛细管电泳系统

提出了一种基于芯片-毛细管复合装置的紫外检测-微流控芯片毛细管电泳分析系统.采用小死体积的耦合技术实现了石英毛细管与“十”字通道型微流控玻璃芯片的耦合.本系统的紫外检测灵敏度与商品化毛细管电泳仪相当.采用夹流进样方式,达到较高的进样重现性,2mmol/L苯甲酸的峰高相对标准偏差(RSD)为1.5%(n=11).可用于复方磺胺甲唑片剂的两种有效成分的快速分离.     

A two-electrode configuration for simplified amperometric detection in a microfabricated electrophoretic separation device

The simplified amperometric detection scheme demonstrated is based on the amperometric working and electrophoretic ground electrodes only. The latter serves as counter and pseudo-reference as well. It is shown via the successful determination of neurotransmitters, ascorbic acid and phenols on gold or platinum working electrodes that this approach is feasible for detection on a channel based electrophoretic separation device. Also presented is the detection of carbohydrates and amino acids with copper electrodes. The results were found to be similar to those obtained with conventional capillary systems with amperometric detection, albeit at much reduced analysis times.     

Optimal configuration of capillary electrophoresis microchip with expansion chamber in separation channel

This study develops a novel capillary electrophoresis (CE) microfluidic device featuring a conventional cross-form injection system and an expansion chamber located at the inlet of the separation channel. The combined injection system/expansion chamber arrangement is designed to deliver a high-quality sample band into the separation channel such that the detection performance of the device is enhanced. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the electrokinetic transport processes in the microfluidic device and to establish the optimal configuration of the expansion chamber. The results indicate that an expansion chamber with an expansion ratio of 2.5 and an expansion length of 500 microm delivers a sample plug with the correct shape and orientation. With this particular configuration, the peak intensities of the sample are sharp and clearly distinguishable in the detection region of the separation channel. Therefore, this configuration is well suited for capillary electrophoresis applications which require a highly sensitive resolution of the sample plug. The novel CE microfluidic device developed in this study has an exciting potential for use in high-performance, high-throughput chemical analysis applications and in many other applications throughout the field of micro-total-analysis-systems.     

Performance of an in-plane detection cell with integrated waveguides for UV/Vis absorbance measurements on microfluidic separation devices

A microfluidic device with integrated waveguides and a long path length detection cell for UV/Vis absorbance detection is presented. The 750 microm U-cell detection geometry was evaluated in terms of its optical performance as well as its influence on efficiency for electrophoretic separations in the microdevice. Stray light was found to have a strong effect on both, the sensitivity of the detection and the available linear range. The long path length U-cell showed a 9 times higher sensitivity when compared to a conventional capillary electrophoresis (CE) system with a 75 microm inner diameter (ID) capillary, and a 22 times higher sensitivity than with a 50 microm ID capillary. The linear range was comparable to that achieved in a 75 microm ID capillary and more than twice as large as in a 50 microm ID capillary. The use of the 750 microm U-cell did not contribute significantly to band broadening; however, a clear quantification was made difficult by the convolution of several other band broadening sources.     

毛细管电泳多道电化学检测器的研制及其应用

报道了毛细管电泳多道电化学检测器的研制及其应用，安培检测器和电导检测器并联在同一毛细管电泳检测系统中，在同一缓冲体系，同一工作电极下对同一复杂的分析体系同时进行电导和安培检测；整个装置综合了电导检测和安培检测两种检测器的优点，性能优良，造价低廉，对实际样品的检测取得了令人满意的结果。     

A poly (4‐vinylpridine‐co‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolithic concentrator for in‐line concentration‐capillary electrophoresis analysis of phenols in water samples

A poly(4‐vinylpridine‐co‐ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) monolith was synthesized in a capillary and constructed as a concentrator for the in‐line polymeric monolith microextraction coupling with capillary electrophoresis. The integrated system was then used for the simultaneous determination of five trace phenols (2‐nitrophenol, 3‐nitrophenol, 4‐nitrophenol, 2‐chlorophenol, and 2,4‐dichlorophenol) in water samples. The experimental parameters for in‐line solid‐phase extraction, such as composition and volume of the elution plug, pH of sample solution, and the time for sample loading were optimized. The sensitivity for the mixture of phenols (2‐nitrophenol, 3‐nitrophenol, 4‐nitrophenol, 2‐chlorophenol, and 2,4‐dichlorophenol) enhanced to 615–2222 folds at the optimum condition was compared to the sensitivity for a normal hydrodynamic injection in capillary electrophoresis. Linearity ranged from concentration of 10–500 ng mL^?1(R² > 0.999) for all five phenols with the detection limits of 1.3–3.3 ng mL^?1. In tap, snow and Yangtze River water spiked with 20 ng mL^?1 and 200 ng mL^?1, respectively, the recoveries of 84–105% were obtained. It has been demonstrated that this work has great potential for the analysis of phenols in genuine water samples.     

Determination of bisphenol A and 10 alkylphenols in serum using SDS micelle capillary electrophoresis with gamma-cyclodextrin.

A new micelle capillary electrophoresis based on cyclodextrin micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) for the determination of bisphenol A and 10 alkylphenols in rat serum is reported. Several surfactants and dextrins were studied. Bisphenol A and alkylphenols were separated using a 50 microm x 50 cm capillary with 20 mM borate phosphate buffer (pH 8.0) containing 20 mM sodium dodecylsulfate and 5 mM gamma-cyclodextrin as carrier. The method could determine 0.6-2000 microg/mL of phenols in 100 microL serum by photometric detection at 214 nm. Using 2.0 mL serum, 1.0 ng/mL of phenols could be determined. The relative standards deviations were 6.3-7.7% at 10 microg/mL in serum. The recoveries were 91.8-93.0% with 10 microg/mL serum samples.     

Continuous capillary electrophoresis with flow injection and its application for determination of Ephedrine and Pseudo-ephedrine in Chinese medicinal preparations

This article presents a new, simple and rapid continuous separation method by combination of flow injection with capillary electrophoresis designed for the analysis of basic traditional Chinese medicines. The device was produced using commercial capillary and components readily available in analytical laboratory. In double-T configuration, the designed horizontal separation channel was 25 microm i.d. x 146 mm length (an effective separation length of 93 mm) quartz capillary, with two vertical elicitation arms produced from 0.5 mm i.d. pump tubing. The capillary was embedded in a 40 x 20 x 3 mm organic glass base. Using the double-T configuration, continuous introduction of a series of samples was achieved. More than 3.00 resolution for ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine were obtained using 100 mm borate buffer (pH 9.80) within 8 min in 25 microm separation channel with an electrical field strength of 137 V/cm (UV detection at 215 nm). The linear calibration range was 50-1500 microg/mL (ephedrine, r = 0.9982; pseudo-ephedrine, r = 0.9990) for both analytes. The limits of detection were 2.65 micro g/mL for ephedrine and 2.92 microg/mL for pseudo-ephedrine. In this device, the contents of ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine in five Chinese medicinal preparations were determined with RSDs (n = 5) in range 1.16-4.51% and recoveries in range 90.4-114.6%.     

Determination of cefotaxime and desacetylcefotaxime in cerebrospinal fluid by solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography

A microfluidic analytical system for the separation and detection of organic peroxides, based on a microchip capillary electrophoresis device with an integrated amperometric detector, was developed. The new microsystem relies on the reductive detection of both organic acid peroxides and hydroperoxides at -700 mV (vs. Ag wire/AgCl). Factors influencing the separation and detection processes were examined and optimized. The integrated microsystem offers rapid measurements (within 130 s) of these organic-peroxide compounds, down to micromolar levels. A highly stable response for repetitive injections (RSD 0.35-3.12%; n = 12) reflects the negligible electrode passivation. Such a "lab-on-a-chip" device should be attractive for on-site analysis of organic peroxides, as desired for environmental screening and industrial monitoring.     

Microchip capillary electrophoresis using on-line chemiluminescence detection

Chemiluminescence detection was used in capillary electrophoresis integrated on a microchip. Quartz microchips have two main channels and four reservoirs. Dansyl-lysine and -glycine were separated and detected with bis[(2-(3,6,9-trioxadecanyloxycarbony)-4-nitrophenyl]oxalate as peroxyoxalate chemiluminescent reagent. These dansyl amino acids came into contact with the chemiluminescence reagent to produce visible light at the interface between the separation channel and chemiluminescence reagent-containing reservoir. The detection limit (S/N = 3) for dansyl-lysine was 1 x 10(-5) M, which corresponded to the very small mass detection limit of ca. 0.4 fmol. However, the concentration sensitivity in the present system was approximately two orders of magnitude lower than that in the conventional capillary electrophoresis-chemiluminescence detection system. The relative standard deviations of migration time and peak height for dansyl-lysine were 4.2 and 4.5%, respectively. A channel conditioning before every run and an appropriate control of voltages were needed for the reproducible results. The present system had advantages in rapid separation time (within 40 s), small (several 10 pI) and accurate sample injection method using a cross-shaped injector, and simplification and miniaturization of the detection device.     

Fast separation of oligonucleotide and triplet repeat DNA on a microfabricated capillary electrophoresis device and capillary electrophoresis

A laser-induced fluorescence detection system coupled with a highly sensitive silicon-intensified target (SIT) camera is successfully applied to the imaging of a band for DNA fragment labeling by fluorescence dye in a microchannel, and to the visualizing of the separation process on a microfabricated chip. We demonstrated that an only 6 mm separation channel is sufficient for the separation of triplet repeat DNA fragment and DNA molecular marker within only 12 s. The separation using the microfabricated capillary electrophoresis device is confirmed to be at least 18 times faster than the same separation carried out by conventional capillary electrophoresis with 24.5 cm effective length. The use of a short capillary with 8.5 cm effective length is also efficient for fast separation of DNA; however, the microchip technology is even faster than capillary electrophoresis using a short capillary.     

Micro sequential injection: automated insulin derivatization and separation using a lab-on-valve capillary electrophoresis system

Automated sampling and fluorogenic derivatization of islet proteins (insulin, proinsulin, c-peptide) are separated and analyzed by a novel lab-on-valve capillary electrophoresis (LOV-CE) system. This fully integrated device is based on a micro sequential injection instrument that uses a lab-on-valve manifold to integrate capillary electrophoresis. The lab-on-valve manifold is used to perform all microfluidic tasks such as sampling, fluorogenic labeling, and CE capillary rejuvenation providing a very reliable system for reproducible CE separations. Fluorescence detection was coupled to an epiluminescence fluorescence microscope using a customized capillary positioning plate. This customized plate incorporated two fused-silica fiber optic probes that allow for simultaneous absorbance and fluorescence detection, extending the utility of this device. Derivatization conditions with respect to the sequence of addition, timing, injection position, and volumes were optimized through iterative series of experiments that are executed automatically by software control. Reproducibility in fluorogenic labeling was tested with repetitive injections of 3.45 mM insulin, yielding 1.3% RSD for peak area, 0.5% RSD for electromigration time, and 2.8% RSD for peak height. Fluorescence detection demonstrated a linear dynamic range of 3.43 to 6.87 microM for insulin (r2 = 0.99999), 0.39 to 1.96 pM for proinsulin (r2 = 0.99195) and 260 to 781 nM for c-peptide (r2 = 0.99983). By including hydrodynamic flushing immediately after the detection of the last analyte, the sampling frequency for islet protein analysis was increased. Finally, an in vitro insulin assay using rat pancreatic islet excretions was tested using this lab-on-valve capillary electrophoresis system.     

A thin cover glass chip for contactless conductivity detection in microchip capillary electrophoresis

A microfabricated thin glass chip for contactless conductivity detection in chip capillary electrophoresis is presented in this contribution. Injection and separation channels were photolithographed and chemically etched on the surface of substrate glass, which was bonded with a thin cover glass (100 μm) to construct a new microchip. The chip was placed over an independent contactless electrode plate. Owing to the thinness between channel and electrodes, comparatively low excitation voltage (20–110 V in V_p–p) and frequency (40–65 kHz) were suitable, and favorable signal could be obtained. This microchip capillary electrophoresis device was used in separation and detection of inorganic ions, amino acids and alkaloids in amoorcorn tree bark and golden thread in different buffer solutions. The detection limit of potassium ion was down to 10 μmol/L. The advantages of this microchip system exist in the relative independence between the microchip and the detection electrodes. It is convenient to the replacement of chip and other operations. Detection in different position of the channel would also be available.     

Sensitivity enhancement of chlorinated phenols by continuous flow liquid membrane extraction followed by capillary electrophoresis

This paper describes a new analytical system, based on the combination of continuous flow liquid membrane extraction (CFLME) enrichment and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation, for analysis of chlorinated phenols in water samples. Five chlorinated phenols including 3-chlorophenol (3CP), 4-chlorophenol (4CP) 2,4-dichlorophenol (DCP), 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), and pentachlorophenol (PCP) were separated by CE with Tris/sodium dihydrogen phosphate solution containing methanol 1% (v/v) as the run buffer. CFLME related parameters were investigated and optimal enrichment was obtained by using 0.3 mol L(-1) Tris as acceptor and with a sample pH 5.0, a sample flow rate of 4.0 mL min(-1), and an enrichment sample volume of 150 mL. The detection limit (S/N= 3) was 6.9, 1.0, and 1.7 ng mL(-1) for DCP, PCP, and TCP, respectively. The reproducibility (RSD%, n = 6) was 5.7 for DCP, 2.5 for PCP, and 2.8% for TCP (n = 6). The proposed method was applied to the determination of chlorinated phenols in spiked water samples with relatively satisfactory recoveries.     

Analysis of inorganic and small organic ions by CE with amperometric detection

Capillary electrophoresis has become a widely useful analytical technology. Amperometric detection is extensively employed in capillary electrophoresis for its many inherent virtues, such as rapid response, remarkable sensitivity, and low cost of both detectors and instrumentations. Analysis of inorganic and small organic ions by capillary electrophoresis is an important research field. This review focuses on the recent developments of capillary electrophoresis coupled with amperometric detection for analysis of inorganic and small organic ions. Advancements in electrophoresis separation modes, amperometric detection modes, working electrodes, and applications of inorganic ions, amino acids, phenols, and amines are discussed.