Nitromethane as solvent in capillary electrophoresis

Nitromethane has several properties that make it an interesting solvent for capillary electrophoresis especially for lipophilic analytes that are not sufficiently soluble in water: freezing and boiling points are suitable for laboratory conditions, low viscosity leads to favourable electrophoretic mobilities, or an intermediate dielectric constant enables dissolution of electrolytes. In the present work we investigate the change of electrophoretically relevant analyte properties - mobilities and pKa values - in nitromethane in dependence on the most important experimental conditions determined by the background electrolyte: the ionic strength, I, and the pH. It was found that the mobility decreases with increasing ionic strength (by, e.g. up to 30% from I = 0 to 50 mmol/L) according to theory. An appropriate pH scale is established by the aid of applying different concentration ratios of a buffer acid with known pKa and its conjugate base. The mobility of the anionic analytes (from weak neutral acids) depends on the pH with the typical sigmoidal curve in accordance with theory. The pKa of neutral acids derived from these curves is shifted by as much as 14 pK units in nitromethane compared to water. Both findings confirm the agreement of the electrophoretic behaviour of the analytes with theories of electrolyte solutions. Separation of several neutral analytes was demonstrated upon formation of charged complexes due to heteroconjugation with chloride as ionic constituent of the background electrolyte.     

Formamide as solvent for capillary zone electrophoresis

A comprehensive investigation of a number of aspects when using formamide as background electrolyte solvent in capillary zone electrophoresis was presented. It included (i) the change of the ion mobility with ionic strength, (ii) the influence of the ionic strength on diffusion coefficients, and (iii) on the separation efficiency expressed by the maximum reachable plate numbers (when only longitudinal diffusion contributed to zone broadening), (iv) the effect of the solvent on pKa values (taken from the literature) of neutral and cation acids, (v) the establishment of the a pH scale in formamide by dissolving acids with known pKa values and their salts at defined proportion (thus circumventing the problem of calibrating the pH meter), (vi) the agreement between the experimentally derived and the theoretical dependence of the effective mobility on pH, (vii) the uptake of water of this hygroscopic solvent from the humidity of the environment and its consequence to the ion mobilities, pKa values, and the chemical stability of the solvent (e.g., hydrolysis), and finally (viii) the use of conductivity and indirect UV absorption to enable detection of analytes below the optical cutoff of formamide.     

Investigation of the effects of cyclodextrins and organic solvents on the separation of cationic surfactants in capillary electrophoresis

The use of alpha- and beta-cyclodextrin (CD) to understand and to improve the separation of a series of cationic surfactants, homologues of alkylbenzyldimethyl ammonium compounds (ABDACs) with an alkyl chain of varying length (C10-C18), in capillary electrophoresis (CE) is reported for the first time. Similar to the effects of organic solvents, the presence of alpha- or beta-CD in the running buffer was found to reduce peak tailing/loss for the longer-chain ABDACs. Based on fluorescence measurements, it was found that formation of host-guest complexes occurred between alpha- or beta-CD and various ABDACs, with the likelihood that the hydrophobic alkyl chain including into the CD cavity and the positively charged ammonium group remaining outside the cavity. The effects of alpha- or beta-CD can be interpreted in terms of a shift away from the formation of (1) micelles in the buffer system and (2) surfactant aggregates at the fused-silica capillary walls, as a result of the formation of inclusion complexes between alpha- or beta-CD and ABDACs.     

Gas chromatographic separation of fatty acid methyl esters on weakly polar capillary columns

It was found that weakly polar columns, routinely used in capillary GC for analyzing sterols, food additives, etc., can also be used for separating fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). On these columns, FAMEs elute in the order of their unsaturation. The equivalent chain-length value of methyl 22:6 is below 23.00. This means FAMEs within a carbon chain length, having up to six double bonds, elute before the next (one carbon longer) saturated FAME elutes. Peak identification is easy. Weakly polar columns are compatible in both GC and GC/MS systems.     

Simultaneous separation of 17 anions by capillary electrophoresis with the addition of an organic solvent

Seventeen inorganic and organic anions, that normally are insufficiently separated via ion chromatography, were completely separated by the addition of an organic solvent to a solution of BGE combined with an adjustment of the apparent pH via CE in combination with indirect UV absorbance detection. Methanol, ethanol, and acetonitrile were examined for their utility in manipulating the selective separation of anions. Methanol and acetonitrile were better modifiers than ethanol at enhancing the resolution of anions comigrating in an aqueous solution of BGE. Methanol was selected as the modifier that provided the largest separation window that could achieve a complete separation of the target analytes. Via the use of methanol, manipulation of the selectivity between inorganic anions and that between inorganic and organic anions was enhanced, but the separation between organic anions remained difficult when only methanol was used. By varying the apparent pH of the BGE in the presence of 10% v/v methanol, however, the separation selectivity between organic anions was substantially improved. Eventually, 7 inorganic and 10 organic anions were simultaneously separated using BGE at a pH of 6.3 in the presence of 10% v/v methanol.     

Phospholipid-lysozyme coating for chiral separation in capillary electrophoresis

A phospholipid coating with lysozyme as chiral recognition reagent permeated into the phospholipid membrane was developed for the chiral capillary electrophoretic (CE) separation of D- and L-tryptophan. As a kind of carriers, coated as phospholipid membranes onto the inner wall of a fused-silica capillary, liposomes are able to interact with basic proteins such as lysozyme, which may reside on the surface of the phospholipid membrane or permeate into the middle of the membrane. The interaction results in strong immobilization of lysozyme in the capillary. Coatings prepared with liposomes alone did not allow stable immobilization of lysozyme into the phospholipid membranes, as seen from the poor repeatability of the chiral separation. When 1-(4-iodobutyl)-1,4-dimethylpiperazin-1-ium iodide (M1C4) was applied as a first coating layer in the capillary, the electroosmotic flow (EOF) was effectively suppressed, the phospholipid coating was stabilized, and the lysozyme immobilization was much improved. The liposome composition, the running buffer, and the capillary inner diameter all affected the chiral separation of D- and L-tryptophan. Coating with 4 mM M1C4 and then 1 mM phosphatidylcholine (PC)/phosphatidylserine (PS) (80:20 mol%), with 20 mM (ionic strength) Tris at pH 7.4 as the running buffer, resulted in optimal chiral separation with good separation efficiency and resolution. Since lysozyme was strongly permeated into the membrane of the phospholipids on the capillary surface, the chiral separation of D- and L-tryptophan was achieved without lysozyme in the running buffer. The effects of different coating procedures and separation conditions on separation were evaluated, and the M1C4-liposome and liposome-lysozyme interactions were elucidated. The usefulness of protein immobilized into phospholipid membranes as a chiral selector in CE is demonstrated for the first time.     

Derivatized cyclodextrins for the separation of enantiomers in capillary electrophoresis

The use of cyclodextrin derivatives for the efficient separation of enantiomeric drugs is described. Hydroxypropylation, methylation or carboxymethylation of the cyclodextrin not only result in a better solubility of the cyclodextrin in aqueous solutions, but also favor, via additional hydrogen bonding, the stabilization of one of the cyclodextrin-analyte complexes. The influence of the background electrolyte on peak shape is also described here. Carboxymethylated cyclodextrin can be used in similar manner to uncharged cyclodextrins at low pH values (below 4). At pH values above 5, however, its charge also allows the separation of uncharged enantiomers as in a micellar-like system.     

Direct injection of organic solvent extracts for capillary electrophoresis

It is demonstrated here that organic solvents immiscible in water used in sample extraction, such as chloroform, can be injected directly and successfully on the capillary without the need for evaporation and reconstitution. Current continuity was maintained all the time during the run. In order to avoid the rapid evaporation of the organic solvent during the analysis, the aqueous layer was left over the chloroform. This simplified the extraction step, and enabled the injection from the same vial over several hours without dealing with problem of evaporation. The relative peak heights in the electropherograms can be modified by the inclusion in the chloroform of a more polar solvent, by adjusting the pH, or adjusting the salt content of the sample. Addition of a polar solvent to the chloroform improved greatly the precision of the analysis for both the peak height and migration time.     

Ionic boundaries in biological capillary electrophoresis

Ion migration in electrophoresis always leads to the formation of ionic boundaries. While some types of the ionic boundaries can be formed intentionally, e.g., to improve separation efficiency or sensitivity of the analysis, other, naturally formed boundaries, may cause unexpected effects during the electrophoretic experiment. Some of the boundaries often go unnoticed in practice; however, many effects of the ionic boundaries formed by the sample matrix and background electrolyte components are frequently observed in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The interpretation of these effects may not be trivial and different explanations of the same phenomena may be found in the literature. This critical article attempts to review some of the important effects of the ionic boundaries observed or utilized during the CE of biologically important samples.     

Strategy for the separation of concentrated samples by capillary electrophoresis

The use of concentrated samples is usually avoided during conventional separations since utilization of concentrated samples normally compromises the quality of separation. However, in case of the detection of low‐abundance components, highly concentrated samples are necessary, which leads to an extremely high concentration for high‐abundant components. This will make the separation difficult due to the serious longitudinal dispersion. Here, we developed a method to separate high concentration of components based on the modified capillary electrophoresis. The mechanism involves concentrated sample stretched into a wider zone in the higher electric field strength; the sample zone is fractionated into thin sections via a cutting effect; these thin sections are then separated. Based on this mechanism, we examined to separate an overloaded mixture of N ,N ′‐diphenylguanidine and N ,N ′‐di(o‐tolyl)guanidine. Baseline separation was achieved due to much small longitudinal dispersion. The theoretical plate numbers of peaks were around 3.5 × 10⁵ m⁻¹. The practicality of the new approach is demonstrated in the separation of a model protein mixture, containing lysozyme, bovine serum albumin, and ribonuclease A.     

涂层技术在毛细管电泳手性分离中的应用

手性是自然界的本质属性之一。手性分离分析技术对生命科学、环境科学、生物工程和药物工程等许多学科都具有十分重要的意义。当前,对不同种类手性化合物进行拆分已成为毛细管电泳技术最具特色的研究和应用领域之一。然而,被分析物(或拆分剂)在毛细管内壁的吸附是毛细管电泳手性分离中的常见问题。涂层技术就是采用不同的方法对毛细管内壁进行改性,是抑制非特异性吸附、提高分离效率及分离重现性最简便和最有效的方法。本文主要综述了近十几年来各种涂层技术在毛细管电泳手性分离领域的应用现状,并对毛细管涂层技术今后的发展进行了展望。     

微流控芯片毛细管电泳在蛋白质分离分析中的应用研究进展

重点介绍了近年来国内外在微流控芯片毛细管电泳法用于蛋白质分离分析方面的研究进展。按照分离模式的不同,综述了各种应用于蛋白质分离的微流控芯片毛细管电泳系统,讨论了抑制芯片中的蛋白吸附的各种方法,并展望了芯片毛细管电泳系统在蛋白质分离领域的发展前景。引用文献47篇。     

Organic solvent high-field amplified stacking for basic compounds in capillary electrophoresis

Many water-miscible organic solvents, especially acetonitrile and acetone, bring along significant degrees (approximately 30 times) of stacking by electroinjection through high-field amplified injection for the basic compounds compared to that for aqueous buffers or water. The relative stacking of different compounds in acetonitrile or acetone is different compared to that for water. Stacking by electroinjection in organic solvents is less stringent and easier to accomplish in practice. Acids and salts, in aqueous solutions, can ruin the stacking for both organic and aqueous solvents; however, this effect can be better tolerated by diluting the sample in acetonitrile. Thus, this stacking is termed "organic solvent high-field amplified injection". This stacking by electroinjection is enhanced by increasing the electrophoresis buffer concentration and can be better than that by pressure injection. From the practical aspects, some cationic drugs present in serum such as amiodarone can be detected at the therapeutic levels by electroinjection on the capillary after protein precipitation by acetonitrile.     

Salting-out solvent extraction for the off-line preconcentration of benzalkonium chloride in capillary electrophoresis

The use of salting-out effect for the off-line preconcentration of charged analytes in capillary electrophoresis is demonstrated for the first time. Using benzalkonium chloride (BAK) as model compound, a mixture of cationic surfactants consisting of even-numbered alkylbenzyl quaternary ammonium homologues (C8-C18), the addition of appropriate amounts of sodium chloride and acetonitrile in the sample solution (2 mL sample volume) was found to be capable of providing ca. 40-fold enhancement in detection sensitivity. In addition to affording a preconcentrating effect due to the extraction of BAK in the smaller volume water-miscible organic solvent phase (acetonitrile), the organic solvent also serves to improve the peak area and shape of the longer chain surfactants. Optimal experimental conditions, such as volume of acetonitrile and concentration of sodium chloride, for the preconcentration of BAK with good preconcentration factors and reproducibility were investigated. The usefulness of the present method was demonstrated for the improved determination of BAK present in commercially available industrial and pharmaceutical products.     

Chiral separation of cetirizine by capillary electrophoresis

Chiral separation of cetirizine, a second-generation H(1)-antagonist, was studied by CD-mediated CE. Several parameters, including pH, CD type, buffer concentration, type of co-ion, applied voltage and temperature, were investigated. The best conditions for chiral separation were obtained using a 75 mM triethanolamine-phosphate buffer (pH 2.5) containing 0.4 mg/mL heptakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfato)-beta-CD and 10% ACN. Online UV detection was performed at 214 nm, a voltage of 20 kV was applied and the capillary was temperature controlled at 25 degrees C by liquid cooling. Hydrodynamic injection was performed for 1 s. The method was validated for the quantification of levocetirizine in tablets and for enantiomeric purity testing of the drug substance. Selectivity, linearity, LOD and LOQ, precision and accuracy were evaluated for both methods. The amount of levocetirizine dihydrochloride in the commercially available tablets was quantified and was found to be within the specification limits of the claimed amount (5 mg). The amount of distomer in levocetirizine drug substance was found to be 0.87 +/- 0.09% w/w, which is in agreement with the certificate of analysis supplied by the company.     

Principles of DNA separation with capillary electrophoresis

During the last decade, capillary electrophoresis (CE) of DNA has undergone rapid development. This improvement was especially important for DNA sequencing, where CE has now become a standard method facilitating to decipher several genomes within a very short time. Here, we give a review of the fundamentals of DNA separation in CE and the major factors influencing the performance.