The preparation of background electrolytes in capillary zone electrophoresis: golden rules and pitfalls

In this article the methodology of the design of suitable background electrolytes (BGEs) in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) is described. The principal aspects of the role of a BGE in CZE are discussed with respect to an appropiate migration behavior of analytes, including the transport of the electric current, the buffering of pH, the Joule heat, the electro-endosmotic flow (EOF) and the principal migration and detection modes. The impact of the composition of the BGE upon migration and detection is discussed. It is shown that the total concentration of the BGE is a principal factor and the adjustment of migrating analyte zones according to the Kohlrausch regulating function (KRF) is the principal effect in most of the sample stacking techniques. The number of co-ions and their properties are of key importance for peak shapes of the analyte peaks and for the existence of system zones. The detection of UV-transparent analytes may advanteously be done in the indirect UV mode, by using UV-absorbing co-ions, however, both peaks and dips may be expected in the UV trace in case of multiple co-ionic BGEs. Properties of BGEs can be predicted applying mathematical models and it is shown that with SystCharts, predictions can be given concerning the existence of system zones, detection modes and the peak shapes of analytes for a given BGE. Practical examples of methodological considerations are given in the design of suitable BGEs for four principal combinations of migration and detection modes. The properties of the BGEs selected are exemplified with experimental results. Golden rules are summarized for the preparation of suitable BGEs in CZE.     

Strong complexation of water-soluble betulin derivatives with (2-hydroxypropyl)-γ-cyclodextrin studied by affinity capillary electrophoresis

The complexation between (2-hydroxypropyl)-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD) and water-soluble betulin derivatives, betulin 3,28-disulfate (DSB) and betulin 3-acetate-28-sulfate (ASB), belonging to the class of pentacyclic lupane triterpenoids, was studied using mobility shift ACE (ms ACE). It was found that the complexation is a high-affinity interaction. In this case, a very low amount of HP-γ-CD should be added to the BGE, and triangular peaks are observed as a result of ligand deficiency in the sample zone. Le Saux et al. showed in 2005 that using the parameter a₁ of the Haarhoff-Van der Linde (HVL) function instead of the migration time measured at the peak apex eliminates the effect of ligand deficiency on effective electrophoretic mobility. Therefore, the electrophoretic mobilities of asymmetrical peaks of DSB and ASB were calculated in this way. The obtained experimental data correspond to 1:1 complexes. The calculated values of binding constants logarithms at 25°C are 6.70 ± 0.05 and 7.03 ± 0.10 for the HP-γ-CD complexes of DSB and ASB, respectively.     

Capillary electrophoresis study on phase of mixed micelles and its role in transport phenomena of particles

In the present work comprehensive studies on electrophoretic effects induced by a phase of mixed micelles, that migrates surrounded with background electrolyte (BGE) and is denoted as the BGE/segment of mixed micelles/BGE system, were undertaken using capillary electrophoresis coupled with contactless conductivity or UV–vis detector. It was established that mixed micelles under electrophoresis are subject of evolution in terms of mobility, peak area and presence of sub-zones enforced by the composition of micellar phase, segment length and applied voltage. Established features allowed us to explain the electrophoretic behavior of nanoparticles in the system BGE/sample containing nanocrystals/segment of mixed micelles/BGE and it was postulated that a pseudomicellar state of nanoparticles can be useful term in analyzing the migration phenomena of nanoparticles within micellar environment. In contrast to the previous works, where transport of nanocrystals (NCs) within micellar segment or between two micellar segments was analyzed, the present work is focused on the transport of NCs from sample of NCs dispersed in BGE to phase of mixed micelles, i.e., to rear boundary between micellar zone and BGE. Based on these results, systematic studies on transport efficiency for nanoparticles in the system BGE/sample containing nanocrystals/segment of mixed micelles/BGE show that the system assures efficient transport of nanoparticles from BGE based sample to micellar phase and their efficient preconcentration at the micellar segment/BGE rear boundary.     

System zones in capillary zone electrophoresis.

This paper brings an overview of system zones (SZs) in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and their effects upon the migration of zones of analytes. It is shown that the formation and migration of SZs is an inherent feature of CZE, and that it depends predominantly on the composition of an actual background electrolyte (BGE). One can distinguish between stationary SZs and migrating SZs. Stationary SZs, which move due to the electroosmotic flow only, are induced in any BGE by sample injection. Migrating SZs may be induced by a sample injection in BGEs which show at least one of the following features: (i) BGE contains two or more co-ions, (ii) BGE has low or high pH whereby H+ or OH- act as the second co-ion, and (iii) BGE contains multivalent weak acids or bases. SZs do not contain any analyte and show always BGE-like composition. They contain components of the BGE only and the concentrations of these components are different from their values in the original BGE. Providing that some of the ionic components of the BGE are visible by the detector, the migrating SZs can be detected and they are present as system peaks/dips in the electropherogram. It is shown that a migrating SZ may be characterized by its mobility, and examples are given how this mobility can depend on the composition of the BGE. Further, the effects of the migrating SZs (either visible or not visible by the detector) upon the zones of analytes are presented and the typical disturbances of the peaks (extra broadening, zig-zag form, schizophrenic behavior) are exemplified and discussed. Finally, some conclusions are presented how to cope with the SZs in practice. The proposed procedure is based on the theoretical predictions and/or measurements of the mobilities of SZs and on the so-called unsafe region. Then, such operational conditions should be selected where the unsafe region is outside of the required analytical window.     

Factors That Influence Mobility,Resolution, and Selectivity in Capillary Zone Electrophoresis. III. The Role of the Buffers' Anion

Abstract

A study of the anion of the buffer and its effect on electroosmotic flow, mobility times, resolution and selectivity was undertaken. The anions selected acetate, borate, phosphate, citrate, carbonate, nitrate and nitrite, gave widely different currents at the same applied voltage (20 kV). Carbonate produced the lowest current, while citrate produced the highest current. Also, it was found that the anion used influences not only electroosmotic flow and mobility times but the resolution and selectivity of eight dansylated amino acids. It is hereby recommended that more attention be paid to the selection of a buffer.     

Determination of nitrate in seawater by capillary zone electrophoresis with chloride-induced sample self-stacking

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method was established to determine low concentration nitrate which was online preconcentrated with chloride-induced leading-type sample self-stacking for seawater samples. The sample self-stacking was based on transient isotachophoresis in which chloride served as leading ion, and dihydrogenphosphate in the background electrolyte (0.1 M phosphate) as the terminating one. Due to the small mobility difference between nitrate and chloride, the isotachophoresis time was so long that nitrate could not separate from the rear sharp boundary between chloride and the background electrolyte (BGE) when it migrated to the detection window. A zwitterionic surfactant, 3-(N,N-dimethyldodecylammonio)propane sulfonate was added to the BGE to enlarge the mobility difference for its selective interaction with anions. Thus, a highly conductive sample could be injected in a large volume with about fourfold sensitivity enhancement compared to that of field amplification sample stacking in which nitrate was dissolved in pure water. The relative standard deviations (n=5) of migration time, peak area, peak height were 0.1, 3.0, 1.5%, respectively. The limit of detection (S/N=3) for nitrate was 35 microg/l in seawater samples with relatively low concentration BGE (0.1 M sodium phosphate, pH 6.2). The overall procedure consisting of online preconcentration and separation was as simple as routine CZE except for a slightly longer sample injection time (3-4 min).     

Peak deformation in cationic analysis caused by system zones.

In electrophoretic processes, often zones migrate through the separation compartment, with a composition different from that of the background electrolyte (BGE) but which do not contain, however, any component of the sample mixture. These zones migrate with a mobility mainly determined by the composition of the BGE and are called system zones (SZs). If these SZs are visible in electropherograms they are called system peaks (SPs). If sample components have a mobility close to that of a SZ, the separation process can be disturbed and the sample peak shapes are deformed. SZs can appear applying BGEs containing more co-ionic species or if BGEs are used at high or low pH. Recently, the existence of SZs has been described applying BGEs containing weak multivalent anionic species. In this paper, the diverse kinds of system zones, are discussed for cationic systems and the effect of invisible SZs on separations is shown. As an example of a weak multivalent cation, the behavior of the divalent cation histamine is studied, which can be used as co-ion in BGEs for the separation of cations in the indirect UV mode. Applying BGEs containing histamine, SZs are visible in the electropherograms and there existence could also be established theoretically by the use of SystCharts. A mathematical model for the calculation of the mobility of SZs is verified and it has been shown that an unsafe region with a mobility window of msp +/- 10% can be indicated, for the separation of fully ionized sample components.     

Determination of chlorine species by capillary electrophoresis – mass spectrometry

The applicability of CZE with mass spectrometric detection for the determination of four chlorine species, namely chloride and three stable chlorine oxyanions, was studied. The main aspects of the proper selection of BGE and sheath liquid for the CE‐MS determinations of anions with high mobility were demonstrated, pointing out the importance of pH and the mobility of the anion in the BGE. The possibility of using uncoated fused silica capillary and common electrolytes for the separation was shown and the advantage of using extra pressure at the inlet capillary end was also presented. The linear range was found to be 1–100 µg/mL for ClO₃^? and ClO₄^?, 5–500 µg/mL for ClO₂^?, and 25–500 µg/mL for Cl^?, but the sensitivity can be greatly improved if larger sample volume is injected and electrostacking effect is utilized. The LOD for ClO₃^? in drinking water was 6 ng/mL, when very large sample volume was injected (10 000 mbar·s was applied).     

Important electromigration effects of carbon dioxide in capillary electrophoresis at high pH

This paper deals with unwanted effects of carbonate in capillary zone electrophoretic analyses of anions in alkaline BGEs with indirect UV absorption and conductivity detection. Computer simulations and experimental study of selected model systems have shown that carbon dioxide absorbed from air into BGEs and samples induce important electrophoretic effects like formation of new additional zones and/or boundaries that may further induce strong and pronounced temporary changes in the migration of analytes. Examples are reduction of the pH of alkaline BGEs around pH 11 by up to 1 unit or formation of a pronounced detectable carbon dioxide peak comparable with peaks of analytes at 1 mM level. The higher the pH of the BGE, the stronger these effects and the broader their spectrum, involving (i) changes of effective mobilities and selectivity due to changes in pH of the BGE, (ii) occurrence of additional system zones appearing in form of peaks, dips or more complex disturbances in the detection signal, (iii) temporary interactions with the sample components and subsequent modification of the separation process and of its result. This paper reveals all these effects and brings the knowledge necessary to prevent problems with qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the analysis results.     

Quantification of 5‐aminolevulinic acid by CE using dynamic pH junction technique

An online dynamic pH junction preconcentration method was developed for quantification of 5‐aminolevulinic acid (ALA) by CE with the separation time less than 6 min. The optimal dynamic pH junction of ALA was carried out between pH 9.3 borate buffer (BGE, 40 mM) and pH 2.5 phosphate buffer (sample matrix, 40 mM) when 4.1 cm of sample plug was hydrodynamically injected into an uncoated fused‐silica capillary (48.5 cm in length, id of 50 μm). If a 24 kV separation voltage was applied, the calibration curve of ALA peak area (200 nm) showed good linearity (R² = 0.9991) ranging from 0.01 to 6.5 mg/mL. The reproducibility of this system was excellent with RSDs (n = 10) of 2.5% for peak area response and 0.6% for migration time at ALA concentration of 0.5 mg/mL. The LOD was evaluated as 1.0 μg/mL (S/N > 3). Compared to conventional CE procedure, the sensitivity was successfully improved over 50‐fold. The analytical results of pharmaceutical formulations show a good agreement with those by HPLC (r = 0.94).     

System peaks in capillary zone electrophoresis of anions with negative voltage polarity and counter-electroosmotic flow

The system peaks that often appear on electropherograms in anion separation by CE with indirect spectrophotometric detection, negative voltage polarity and cathodic EOF are studied. The system peaks are shown to correspond to the zones with the changed concentration of the BGE constituents; they appear while the zone of each analyte anion passes through the outlet end of the capillary and are transported to the detector by EOF. An equation is suggested for predicting migration times of the system peaks with an error of 1%. The ratios of the system peak area to the analyte peak area are found to amount to 20%. It is shown that it is possible to avoid overlapping of the system peaks and analyte peaks by controlling the EOF velocity owing to hydrodynamic pressure. Using the mathematical simulation of CE shows that the system peaks and baseline shift can result from changing the transference numbers of the BGE ions and analyte ions at the capillary edge. The cases when the system peak may be incorrectly identified as the peak of analyte ion are considered. In order to avoid such errors, some practical recommendations are given.     

Experimental study of the concentration dependence of the soret coefficient by thermal field-flow fractionation: the case of polystyrene in decalin

Summary Thermal field-flow fractionation separates polymers with high selectivity according to their Soret coefficient,S _τ, hence, according to their molar mass, and therefore consitutes an efficeint physicochemical tool for the determination of the Soret coefficient of a given polymer in the carrier liquid from its retention time. However, the polymer concentration in the sample influences the retention time and, hence, the value ofS _τ derived from it. An experimental study of the influence of sample concentration on retention,S _τ, and peak shape was performed for the polystyrene-decalin system over a relatively large temperature domain and for various molar masses. It is found that the retention time and the value ofS _τ increase with increasing sample concentration, the more so as the cold wall temperature is lower. This appears to be in contradiction with the general non-equilibrium thermodynamic expression derived for polymer-solvent systems with positive second virial coefficients, such as the present system over the temperature range investigated. There seems to be a temperature for which the dependence ofS _τ on sample concentration vanishes. This temperature is about 375 K for the polystyrene-decalin system. As the sample concentration increases, the peak barycentre and the standard deviation increases. As the peaks are fronting, the skewness is negative and becomes more negative as the sample concentration increases. The peak skewness appears to be a good indicator of the onset of sample concentration effects. The threshold concentration, for which these effects begin to become significant, decreases with increasing molar mass.     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of soil humic acid fractions obtained by coupling size-exclusion chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was used for characterisation of soil humic acid (HA) fractions obtained by coupling size-exclusion chromatography with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, on the basis of their molecular size and electrophoretic mobility. CZE was conducted using several low alkaline buffers as background electrolyte (BGE): 50 mM carbonate, pH 9.0; 50 mM phosphate, pH 8.5; 50 mM borate, pH 8.3; 50 mM Tris-borate+1 mM EDTA+7 M urea+0.1% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), pH 8.3. Independently of BGE conditions, the effective electrophoretic mobility of HA fractions were in good agreement with their molecular size. The better resolution of HA were obtained in Tris-borate-EDTA buffer with urea and SDS. This results indicated that CZE, mostly with BGE-contained disaggregating agents, is useful for separating HAs in fractions with different molecular sizes.     

Direct analysis of polyols using 3-nitrophenylboronic acid in capillary electrophoresis: thermodynamic and electrokinetic principles of molecular recognition

The design of boronic acid sensors for photometric detection of carbohydrates has relied on exploiting differences in the thermodynamic stability of complex formation for molecular recognition. Herein, we introduce a direct method for analysis of sugar alcohols using 3-nitrophenylboronic acid (NPBA) as an electrokinetic probe in capillary electrophoresis (CE). Dynamic complexation of neutral polyols by NPBA during electromigration allows for their simultaneous resolution and UV detection based on formation of an anionic ternary boronate ester complex in phosphate buffer. Unlike conventional boronic acid sensors, thermodynamic and electrokinetic processes in CE allow for improved selectivity for the resolution of sugar alcohol stereoisomers having different vicinal polyol chain lengths even in cases when binding affinity is similar due to differences in their complex mobility. Three complementary approaches were investigated to compare the thermodynamics of polyol chelation with NPBA, namely direct binding assays by CE, UV absorbance spectroscopy and an indirect pK _a depression method. Overall, CE offers a convenient platform for characterization of reversible arylboronic acid interactions in free solution while allowing for direct analysis of complex mixtures of neutral/UV-transparent polyols without complicated sample handling.     

Borate complexation-assisted field-enhanced sample injection for on-line preconcentration of cis-diol-containing compounds in capillary electrophoresis

A new on-line preconcentration technique called borate complexation-assisted field-enhanced sample injection (BCA-FESI) was proposed for preconcentrating cis-diol-containing compounds (CDCCs) in capillary electrophoresis (CE). The principle relies on amplification of the difference in the electrophoretic mobilities of CDCC in sample matrix and background electrolyte (BGE) through complexation of CDCC with borate in a sample matrix of basic pH and dissociation of the complex in a BGE of acidic pH. Meanwhile, CDCC and borate ions electro-injected into the capillary are finally in neutral state, which maintains the pre-filled low conductivity zone and thus allows for longer injection time. With catechol as a test compound, the principle and effectiveness of BCA-FESI was verified. As compared to conventional sample injection, BCA-FESI allowed for sensitivity enhancement of 1850-fold. The established method was further evaluated with three catechins, including (−)-epicatechin gallate (ECG), (−)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG), and (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), in a standard mixture of trace content. The limit of detection (LOD) was found to be 1.4, 3.8, 17.5 nM (S/N = 3) for ECG, GCG, EGC, respectively. Finally, the BCA-FESI method was applied to a real sample of diluted tea beverage, in which the three catechins were detected.     

La luminescence différée du styrène en solution vitreuse dans le méthylcyclohexane

The trapping of electrons and styrene cations and anions has been studied in a methylcyclohexane glass by the techniques of deferred luminescence. Radiothermoluminescence curves consist of two peaks, at 90 and 95°K, in this matrix. The second peak increases linearly with styrene concentration up to 2 × 10^?2M when it reaches a constant value, whereas the first peak increases from 10^?4 to 10^?3M and then decreases at higher concentrations and is not discernible at concentrations above 10^?2M. We propose two mechanisms which are qualitatively consistent with this behavior and are based essentially on the recombination of styrene cations with thermally detrapped electrons in the first peak and with anions in the second peak. Photothermoluminescence (i.e., thermoluminescence after photoionization with ultraviolet light) similarly consists of the 90 and 95°K peaks for a 10^?3M solution and of the 95° peak alone for a 10^?d M solution. Radiophotoluminescence excitation spectra at 77°K, corresponding to absorption spectra of trapped electrons and styrene anions, show that anions are the predominant negative species in 10^?2 molar solution, and trapped electrons in 10^?3 molar solution. Spectral analysis of radiothermoluminescenece shows the presence of two emission bands, one of which is identical with styrene fluorescence excited by the 254 Nm mercury line (λ_max = 292, 302, 307, and 317 Nm). The other band has three fairly poorly resolved maxima at 474, 486 and 496 nm and seems to correspond to the fluorescence of C₆H₅?H-CH₃ radicals formed during radiolysis.     

Evanescent‐wave particle velocimetry measurements of zeta‐potentials in fused‐silica microchannels

The wall ζ‐potential ζ_w, the potential at the shear plane of the electric double layer, depends on the properties of the BGE solution such as the valence and type of electrolyte, the pH and the ionic strength. Most of the methods estimate ζ_w from measurements of the EOF velocity magnitude u_eo, usually spatially averaged over the entire capillary. In these initial studies, evanescent‐wave particle velocimetry was used to measure u_eo in steady EOF for a variety of monovalent aqueous solutions to evaluate the effect of small amounts of divalent cations, as well as the pH and ionic strength of BGE solutions. In brief, the magnitude of the EOF velocity of NaCl‐NaOH and borate buffer‐NaOH solutions was estimated from the measured velocities of radius α = 104 nm fluorescent polystyrene particles in 33 μm fused‐silica microchannels. The particle ζ‐potentials were measured separately using laser‐Doppler micro‐electrophoresis; ζ_w was then determined from u_eo. The results suggest that evanescent‐wave particle velocimetry can be used to estimate ζ_w for a variety of BGE solutions, and that it can be used in the future to estimate local wall ζ‐potential, and hence spatial variations in ζ_w.     

Separation of superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles by capillary zone electrophoresis using non‐complexing and complexing electrolyte anions and tetramethylammonium as dispersing additive

Separations of bare superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles (BSPMNPs, approx. 11 nm diameter) was performed using non‐complexing (nitrate) and complexing (chloride, citrate and phosphate) electrolyte ions with additions of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH), which is commonly applied to control the synthesis of stable iron oxides. The use of TMAOH as a background electrolyte (BGE) additive for capillary electrophoresis (CE) separations provided for the first time electropherograms of BSPMNPs exhibiting symmetrical and highly reproducible peaks, free of spurious spikes characteristic of nanoparticle clusters. Consequently, accurate determination of the electrophoretic effective mobility of BSPMNPs was possible, yielding a value of −3.345E‐08 m² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ (relative standard deviation (RSD) of 0.500%). The obtained mobilities of BSPMNPs in the presence of various electrolyte ions show that the degree of complexation with the surface of BSPMNPs follows the order chloride < citrate < phosphate, correlating with the stabilities of Fe(III) complexes with the respective anions. Finally, bare and carboxylated iron oxide nanoparticles were successfully separated in only 10 min using 10 mM Tris‐nitrate containing 20 mM of TMAOH as electrolyte. Our findings show that simple and rapid CE experiments are an excellent tool to characterise and monitor properties and interactions of iron oxide nanoparticles with other molecules for surface modification purposes.     

Interactions of PEI (polyethylenimine)–silica particles with citric acid in dispersions

Adsorbed polyethylenimine (PEI) of M _w 1,800 and 70,000 on silica (SiO₂) dispersions produced flocculated slurry in the pH range of 5 to 12. Adsorbed citrate widens this flocculated pH regime. It also increases the strength of the interparticle attractive force or the yield stress over the pH range of between 3 and 8. The stronger attractive force is due to particle bridging by the citrate anions bonding with positively charge sites of the adsorbed PEI layer of the interacting particles at the closest point of interaction. The higher M _w PEI being more strongly attached to the silica particle produced a stronger attractive interparticle force with adsorbed citrate anions. Via charge balance calculation using contributions from SiO₂, PEI, and citrate, the pH of zero charge was found to correspond to the pH of zero zeta potential for PEI of M _w 70,000. This suggests 100% adsorption of PEI and citrate on SiO₂. The bridging interaction was confirmed by a linear relationship between yield stress and the square of the limiting citrate charge content. Adsorbed citrate was found for the first time to play the role of a bridging agent, a result of the positive charges being located on a more flexible adsorbed layer rather than being fixed to a rigid surface.     

Evaporation of ionic liquids at atmospheric pressure: study by ion mobility spectrometry

A conventional ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) was used to study atmospheric pressure evaporation of seven pure imidazolium and pyrrolidinium ionic liquids (ILs) with [Tf₂N], [PF₆], [BF₄] and [fap] anions. The positive drift time spectra of the as-received samples measured at 220 °C exhibited close similarity; the peak at reduced mobility K₀ = 1.99 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ was a dominant spectral pattern of imidazolium-based ILs. With an assumption that ILs vapor consists mainly of neutral ion pairs, which generate the parent cations in the reactant section of the detector, and using the reference data on the electrical mobility of ILs cations and clusters, this peak was attributed to the parent cation [emim]. Despite visible change in color of the majority of ILs after the heating at 220 °C for 5 h, essential distinctions between spectra of the as-received and heated samples were not observed. In negative mode, pronounced peaks were registered only for ILs with [fap] anion.