Nonaqueous and aqueous capillary electrophoresis of synthetic polymers

In this work, the use of capillary electrophoresis (CE) to analyze synthetic polymers is reviewed including works published till February 2004. The revised works have been classified depending on the CE mode (e.g., free solution capillary electrophoresis, capillary gel electrophoresis, etc.) and type of buffer (i.e., nonaqueous, aqueous and hydro-organic background electrolytes) employed to separate synthetic macromolecules. Advantages and drawbacks of these different separation procedures for polymer analysis are discussed. Also, physicochemical studies of complex polymer systems by CE are reviewed, including drug release studies, synthetic polyampholytes, dendrimers, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and associative copolymers.     

Noncovalent coatings for the separation of synthetic polypeptides by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

Recently, we demonstrated the possibility to extend the range of capillary electrophoresis (CE) applications to the separation of non-water-soluble synthetic polymers. This work focuses on the control of the electro-osmotic flow (EOF) and on the limitation of the solute adsorption in nonaqueous electrolytes. For these purposes, different strategies were investigated. For the initial, a viscous additive (ethylene glycol or glycerol) was used in the electrolyte in order to decrease the EOF magnitude and, possibly, to compete with solute adsorption. A second strategy was to modify, before separation, the fused-silica capillary wall by the adsorption of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) via hydrogen bonding. The influence of the molecular mass of the adsorbed PEO on the EOF magnitude and direction was studied in electrolytes based on methanol/acetonitrile mixtures containing ammonium ions. For PEO molecular masses above 1000 g/mol, reversed (anodic) EOF were reported in accordance with previous results obtained with PEO covalently bonded capillaries. The influence of the nature and the concentration of the background electrolyte cation on the EOF magnitude and direction were also investigated. A third strategy consisted in modifying the capillary wall by the adsorption of a cationic polyelectrolyte layer. Advantageously, this polyelectrolyte layer suppressed the adsorption of the polymer solutes onto the capillary wall. The results obtained in this work confirm the high potential and the versatility of CE for the characterization of ionizable organic polymers in nonaqueous media.     

An assisted approach of the global optimization for the experimental conditions in capillary electrophoresis

Experimental conditions have effect on the separation of capillary electrophoresis (CE) directly. In this work, a set of index to describe the separation in CE was established properly. Based on a combination of genetic algorithm and least square support vector machine, an assisted approach of global optimization for experimental conditions was proposed for the first time, and it was applied to the separation of four synthetic compounds by CE in nonaqueous system. Under the optimum conditions obtained by this approach, the result of the experiment was satisfactory and proved that this novel approach was effective. Furthermore, we investigated the most important conditions that mainly affect the separation effectiveness of CE by partial least squares regression analysis. Because of the generalization of this new approach proposed, it can be applied to the optimization of other experimental processes.     

Comparison of aqueous and nonaqueous carrier electrolytes for the separation of penicillin V and related substances by capillary electrophoresis with UV and mass spectrometric detection

A method for the determination of penicillin V together with its impurities and by-products formed during biosynthesis, using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with UV and electrospray-mass spectrometric (ESI-MS) detection is presented. Aqueous and nonaqueous electrolytes containing 20 mM ammonium acetate were investigated to determine their suitability for the separation of these analytes. These carrier electrolytes were optimized with respect to the pH and the solvent/s used (water, methanol, acetonitrile, ethanol and isopropanol) and it was shown that although the nonaqueous electrolytes offered unique separation selectivities, the best results in terms of selectivity and sensitivity were obtained for the aqueous system. Finally, the applicability of this method for the analysis of a mixture representative of a real fermentation broth was demonstrated using an aqueous carrier electrolyte with both UV and ESI-MS detection.     

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

Nonaqueous background electrolytes broaden the application of capillary electrophoresis displaying altered separation selectivity and interactions between analytes and buffer additives compared to aqueous background electrolytes. In addition, nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) appears to be ideally suited for online coupling with mass spectrometry due to the high volatility and low surface tension of many organic solvents. Despite these advantages and an increasing use of nonaqueous background electrolytes in CE, coupling of NACE to mass spectrometry has not yet been applied very often to date. The present review summarizes the applications of online NACE-MS with regard to the analysis of drugs, stereoisomers, peptides, alkaloids, polymers and others. A brief discussion of solvent effects in NACE and pH of nonaqueous background electrolyte systems is also presented.     

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis in coated capillaries: an interesting alternative for proteomic applications

This work brings together some contributions for the use of nonaqueous media for proteomic analysis, for both capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation and the preparation of tryptic digests. First, a ternary nonaqueous buffer consisting of 60/30/10 v/v methanol/acetonitrile/acetic acid with 12.5 mmol/L ammonium acetate was optimized for CE separation of the tryptic digest of lysozyme. Lysozyme was chosen as a model system for the protein digestion, which has also been prepared in an organic-rich medium with methanol/50 mmol/L NH(4)HCO(3), pH 8.0 (60/40 v/v). The separation results were compared to in silico (PeptideCutter program) digestion conditions, and high-efficiency peak separation (18 peaks) was obtained in 20 min with an electric field of 350 V/cm. In addition, we have evaluated the stability of a coated capillary with poly-N,N-dimethylacrylamide (60/30 cm total/effective length and 75 microm ID) for over 100 runs of tryptic digest with the nonaqueous background electrolyte solvent system. The migration times for ten selected peptide peaks presented 3-7% relative standard deviation.     

Rapid separation of acetophenone and its monohydroxy isomers by capillary electrophoresis

This work describes the development of a capillary electrophoresis(CE)method for the simultaneous separation of acetophenone(AP),2-hydroxyacetophenone(2-HAP),3-hydroxyacetophenone(3-HAP)and 4-hydroxyacetophenone(4-HAP)in synthetic mixtures using 10 mmol/L of sodium tetraborate buffer(pH 9.5).The aim of this work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of CE to separate AP and its monohydroxy isomers and to defne how the separations are affected by buffers,buffer pH,sample matrices and separation voltage.This method was successfully used for the trace level separation and determination of 2-HAP,3-HAP and 4-HAP in synthetic mixture and 4-HAP in spiked plasma samples.     

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis using a titania-coated capillary

In this work, an ordered mesoporous titania film was introduced to coat a capillary by means of the sol-gel technique. Its electroosmotic flow (EOF) property was investigated in a variety of nonaqueous media (methanol, formamide and N,N'-dimethylformamide and mixtures of methanol and acetonitrile). The titania-coated capillary exhibited a distinctive EOF behavior, the direction and magnitude of which were strongly dependent on various parameters such as the solvent composition, apparent pH (pH*) and the electrolytes. The nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis separation of several alkaloids was investigated in the positively charged titania-coated capillary. Comparison of separation between coated and uncoated capillaries under optimal nonaqueous conditions was also carried out.     

Field-amplified sample stacking and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis determination of complex mixtures of polar aromatic sulfonates

Nonaqueous CE and field-amplified sample stacking have been used in the determination of complex mixtures of polar aromatic sulfonates (AS; mainly benzene- and naphthalenesulfonates) of environmental concern. The analytical procedure consists of an on-column aqueous sample enrichment, followed by the nonaqueous electrophoretic determination of stacked aromatic sulfonates. Various organic solvents were used as separation medium, acetonitrile and N-methylformamide gave the best results. Optimum capillary electrophoresis separation is obtained with ammonium acetate (25 mM) dissolved in N-methylformamide-methanol (90:10) as background electrolyte. This combined method was applied to the analysis of surface water samples spiked with selected aromatic sulfonates derivatives.     

Efficiency studies in nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) is a relatively new area with several advantages that include enhanced efficiency and improved detection sensitivity. The goal of this study was to investigate the influence of NACE compared to aqueous CE on the separation efficiency of oligosaccharides. The applied voltage and buffer concentration were optimized for the aqueous and nonaqueous buffer media to minimize the band broadening effects of Joule heating and electrophoretic dispersion. At the optimized conditions a 1.5-fold enhancement in efficiency was obtained with the nonaqueous buffer medium.     

Recent strategies to improve resolution in capillary electrophoresis—A review

Besides the classical approaches used in capillary electrophoresis (CE) to improve separation, new strategies have been more recently introduced. This review presents some targeted strategies that have been recently developed in order to enhance the resolution of electrokinetic separations. Both novel electrolytes (non-aqueous and isoelectric buffers) and additives (ionic liquids) are presented in terms of performances and mechanisms involved to increase separation resolution. The advantages of innovative methodologies employed in electrokinetic miniaturization are also presented, that allow resolution enhancement. Finally, an insight into the complementarity of a specific hyphenated detection, i.e. mass spectrometry (MS), is performed, as an original strategy to help for better characterization of complex mixtures separation.     

Specific background electrolytes for nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

The use of organic solvents or mixture of solvents in capillary electrophoresis is gaining wider attention. The electroosmotic flow mobility of eight organic solvents (acetonitrile, acetone, dimethylformamide, dimetylsulphoxide, propylene carbonate, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol) and of mixtures of several solvents (methanol-acetonitrile, methanol-propylene carbonate, acetonitrile-propylene carbonate) has been studied. The influence of 1,3-alkylimidazolium salts in different solvents on the separation of different analytes has been investigated. Some of these salts have shown usefulness for matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization matrices and off-line analysis of electrophoresis fractions. It also appears that nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis with 1,3-alkylimidazolium salts as background electrolytes is suitable for separation small inorganic ions.     

Separation of linoleic acid oxidation products by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

In this work the suitability of micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MEKC) and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (CE) to the analysis of the primary oxidation products of linoleic acid was studied with uncoated fused-silica capillaries. The primary autoxidation products of linoleic acid are the four hydroperoxide isomers 13-hydroperoxy-cis-9, trans-11-octadecadienoic acid, 13-hydroperoxy-trans-9, trans-11-octadecadienoic acid, 9-hydroperoxy-trans-10,cis-12-octadecadienoic acid, 9-hydroperoxy-trans-10, trans-12-octadecadienoic acid. Addition of a surfactant such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium cholate (SC) into the running buffer (20-30 mM 3-(cyclohexylamino)-1-propanesulfonic acid (CAPS) or ammonium acetate, pH 9.5-11) was required to enhance the water solubility of the sample and selectivity of the separation. MEKC proved to be a promising new technique for the separation of the primary oxidation products of lipids giving results comparable to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Partial separation of hydroperoxide isomers was also achieved using nonaqueous CE with methanol-acetonitrile-sodium cholate as running buffer.     

Ionic liquids as electrolytes for nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis

Acetonitrile is a well-suited medium for nonaqueous capillary electroseparations and enables extending the range of applications of capillary electrophoresis (CE) techniques to more hydrophobic species. In this study, the dialkylimidazolium-based low temperature melting organic salts know as "ionic liquids" (ILs) are used as electrolytes. At room temperature these liquids are miscible with acetonitrile which makes it easy to use them for adjustment of analyte mobility and separation. The anionic part as well as the concentration of an IL influence the general electrophoretic mobility of the buffer system. The separation of different analytes is achieved because they become charged in the presence of ILs in separation media. There is also a possibility for a complex formation between the solute and the electrolyte which alters the mobility of the solute. A selected application of separations of phenols and aromatic acids will be discussed.     

Capillary electrophoresis of synthetic peptide standards varying in charge and hydrophobicity

A mixture of eight structurally closely related synthetic peptides as capillary electrophoretic (CE) standards is introduced. The almost identical mass-to-charge ratio of the standards, coupled with their random-coil (i.e., no secondary structure) nature, offer a potent analytical test for CE to separate peptides varying only subtly in hydrophobicity. Parameters varied to effect a separation included background electrolyte concentration, temperature, applied voltage in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE in uncoated capillaries), as well as the introduction of hydrophobic mechanisms to the separation either through the use of micelles or C8-coated capillaries. Our step-by-step approach culminated in an optimized combination of a CZE mechanism for separation of differently charged peptide groups (based on common mass-to-charge ratio) and an ion-pairing mechanism (effecting a separation within each group of identically charged peptides), which we have termed ion-interaction CZE or II-CZE. The study clearly shows how the peptide standards allow an excellent assessment of the resolving power of CE.     

Separation of chlorins and carotenoids in capillary electrophoresis

The present study reports the investigation of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the separation of the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll derivatives as well as carotenoids) together. Various CE methods, such as micellar electrokinetic chromatography, capillary electrokinetic chromatography, and nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) are tested, with coated and uncoated capillary columns to evaluate optimal separation conditions using diode array detection. The effect of different type and composition of organic solvents and surfactants on the separation is discussed. Detection limits are found in the range of 1.14-2.45 ppm. According to the system suitability results, the most effective separation is observed using NACE with Aliquat 336 as cationic surfactant in coated capillary and mixture of MeOH-ACN-THF (5:4:1, v/v/v) as solvent. Quantitative evolution is investigated, and recovery percentage values are found to be 96.7-102%.     

Computer simulation for the convenient optimization of isocratic reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separations by varying temperature and mobile phase strength

The review summarizes the most recent developments in the field of enantioseparation of chiral drugs using capillary electromigration techniques. The basic principles of enantioseparations in CE are discussed. Recent developments in sample introduction, separation and detection in capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography are summarized. The applications are arbitrarily divided into the following three groups: (a) racemates and artificial mixtures of enantiomers, (b) drug forms and (c) chiral drugs and their metabolites in biological fluids. Among the various techniques involved the relatively new developments such as CEC in aqueous and nonaqueous buffers, on-line CE-MS coupling, etc. are emphasized.     

不同缓冲体系对毛细管电泳法分离15种核苷类化合物效果的比较

对毛细管电泳法分离15种核苷类化合物所用的不同缓冲液体系进行了系统比较,确定不同模式毛细管电泳法分析多种核苷类化合物的最适合背景缓冲液体系(BGE)。分别以四硼酸钠、磷酸氢二钠、乙酸钠、碳酸氢钠、乙酸铵和乙二胺(DEA)为背景电解质,对毛细管区带电泳(CZE)、毛细管电泳-电喷雾飞行时间质谱(CE-ESI-TOF/MS)以及胶束电动毛细管电泳(MEKC)3种模式进行比较,并对其中几种优势缓冲体系进行了优化。结果表明,CZE模式下使用四硼酸钠和磷酸氢二钠缓冲体系无法同时分离15种核苷类化合物,因此只适用于分析核苷类化合物数量较少的样品。而使用含有2%丙酮的300 mmol/L DEA能完全分开15种核苷类化合物,且分辨率和峰形良好。MEKC模式下,以25 mmol/L磷酸氢二钠(添加70 mmol/L十二烷基磺酸钠(SDS))为缓冲盐的分离结果最佳,并且此方法能成功应用于海洋生物海葵中核苷类化合物的分离。CE-ESI-TOF/MS分析中,以20 mmol/L乙酸铵(pH 10.0)为背景电解质,正离子模式检测,15种核苷类化合物的质谱信号均良好,检测灵敏度明显优于文献中报道的使用DEA缓冲体系的结果。本研究阐明了不同缓冲体系对15种核苷类化合物分离的适用性,为毛细管电泳技术在复杂基质中多种核苷类化合物的分离方法中的应用奠定了基础。     

Effect of surfactant species and electrophoretic medium composition on the electrophoretic behavior of neutral and water‐insoluble linear synthetic polymers in nonaqueous capillary zone electrophoresis

We have recently demonstrated the separation of neutral and water‐insoluble linear synthetic polymers in nonaqueous capillary zone electrophoresis (NACZE) using a cationic surfactant of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC). In this study, eight ionic surfactants were investigated for the separation of four synthetic polymers (polystyrene, polymethylmethacrylates, polybutadiene, and polycarbonate); only three surfactants (CTAC, dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide, and sodium dodecylsulfate) caused their separation. The order of the interaction between the polymers and the surfactants depended on both the surfactant species and the composition of the electrophoretic medium. Their investigation revealed that the separation is majorly affected by the hydrophobic interactions between the polymers and the ionic surfactants. In addition, the electrophoretic behavior of polycarbonate suggested that electrostatic interaction also affects the selectivity of the polymers.     

High-efficiency peptide analysis on monolithic multimode capillary columns: Pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography/capillary electrophoresis coupled to UV and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

High-efficiency peptide analysis using multimode pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography/capillary electrophoresis (pCEC/pCE) monolithic polymeric columns and the separation of model peptide mixtures and protein digests by isocratic and gradient elution under an applied electric field with UV and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detection is demonstrated. Capillary multipurpose columns were prepared in silanized fused-silica capillaries of 50, 75, and 100 microm inner diameters by thermally induced in situ copolymerization of methacrylic monomers in the presence of n-propanol and formamide as porogens and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. N-Ethylbutylamine was used to modify the chromatographic surface of the monolith from neutral to cationic. Monolithic columns were termed as multipurpose or multimode columns because they showed mixed modes of separation mechanisms under different conditions. Anion-exchange separation ability in the liquid chromatography (LC) mode can be determined by the cationic chromatographic surface of the monolith. At acidic pH and high voltage across the column, the monolithic stationary phase provided conditions for predominantly capillary electrophoretic migration of peptides. At basic pH and electric field across the column, enhanced chromatographic retention of peptides on monolithic capillary column made CEC mechanisms of migration responsible for separation. The role of pressure, ionic strength, pH, and organic content of the mobile phase on chromatographic performance was investigated. High efficiencies (exceeding 300 000 plates/m) of the monolithic columns for peptide separations are shown using volatile and nonvolatile, acidic and basic buffers. Good reproducibility and robustness of isocratic and gradient elution pressure-assisted CEC/CE separations were achieved for both UV and ESI-MS detection. Manipulation of the electric field and gradient conditions allowed high-throughput analysis of complex peptide mixtures. A simple design of sheathless electrospray emitter provided effective and robust low dead volume interfacing of monolithic multimode columns with ESI-MS. Gradient elution pressure-assisted mixed-mode separation CE/CEC-ESI-MS mass fingerprinting and data-dependent pCE/pCEC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of a bovine serum albumin (BSA) tryptic digest in less than 5 min yielding high sequence coverage (73%) demonstrated the potential of the method.