Determination of ammonium and metal ions by capillary electrophoresis-potential gradient detection using ionic liquid as background electrolyte and covalent coating reagent

A capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE)-potential gradient detection (PGD) method coupled with field-amplified sample injection was developed to determine alkali metal, alkaline-earth metal, nickel, lead and ammonium ions. The capillary surface was coated with dialkylimidazolium-based ionic liquid and thus the electroosmotic flow (EOF) of the capillary was reversed. The buffer composed of 7.5 mM lactic acid, 0.6 mM 18-crown-6, 12 mM alpha-cyclodextrin (alpha-CD); it was adjusted to pH 4.0 by 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hydroxide. The 11 cations were baseline separated within 14 min with 5.1-18.9 x 10(4) plates (for 40-cm-long capillary) in separation efficiency, and the detection limits were in the range of 0.27-7.3 ng/ml. The method showed good reproducibility in terms of migration time with RSD < or = 0.90% for run-to-run and < or = 1.65 for day-to-day assessment.     

Determination of acidity constants,ionic mobilities,and hydrodynamic radii of carborane-based inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been applied for determination of the thermodynamic acidity constants (pK_a) of the sulfamidoalkyl and sulfonamidoalkyl groups, the actual and limiting ionic mobilities and hydrodynamic radii of important compounds, eight carborane-based inhibitors of carbonic anhydrases, which are potential new anticancer drugs. Two types of carboranes were investigated, (i) icosahedral cobalt bis(dicarbollide)(1-) ion with sulfamidoalkyl moieties, and (ii) 7,8-nido-dicarbaundecaborate with sulfonamidoalkyl side chains. First, the mixed acidity constants, pK_a^mix, of the sulfamidoalkyl and sulfonamidoalkyl groups of the above carboranes and their actual ionic mobilities were determined by nonlinear regression analysis of the pH dependences of their effective electrophoretic mobility measured by capillary electrophoresis in the pH range 8.00−12.25, at constant ionic strength (25 mM), and constant temperature (25°C). Second, the pK_a^mix were recalculated to the thermodynamic pK_as using the Debye–Hückel theory. The sulfamidoalkyl and sulfonamidoalkyl groups were found to be very weakly acidic with the pK_as in the range 10.78−11.45 depending on the type of carborane cluster and on the position and length of the alkyl chain on the carborane scaffold. These pK_as were in a good agreement with the pK_as (10.67−11.27) obtained by new program AnglerFish (freeware at https://echmet.natur.cuni.cz ), which provides thermodynamic pK_as and limiting ionic mobilities directly from the raw CE data. The absolute values of the limiting ionic mobilities of univalent and divalent carborane anions were in the range 18.3−27.8 TU (Tiselius unit, 1 × 10⁻⁹ m²/Vs), and 36.4−45.9 TU, respectively. The Stokes hydrodynamic radii of univalent and divalent carborane anions varied in the range 0.34−0.52 and 0.42−0.52 nm, respectively.     

Determination of thermodynamic acidity constants and limiting ionic mobilities of weak electrolytes by capillary electrophoresis using a new free software AnglerFish

Thermodynamic acidity constants (acid or acid-base dissociation constants, sometimes called also as ionization constants) and limiting ionic mobilities (both of them at defined temperature, usually 25°C) are the fundamental physicochemical characteristics of a weak electrolyte, that is, weak acid or weak base or ampholyte. We introduce a novel method for determining the data of a weak electrolyte by the nonlinear regression of effective electrophoretic mobility versus buffer composition dependence when measured in a set of BGEs with various pH. To correct the experimental data for zero ionic strength we use the extended Debye-Hückel model and Onsager-Fuoss law with no simplifications. Contrary to contemporary approaches, the nonlinear regression is performed on limiting mobility data calculated by PeakMaster's correction engine, not on the raw experimental mobility data. Therefore, there is no requirement to perform all measurements at a constant ionic strength of the set of BGEs. We devised the computer program AnglerFish that performs the necessary calculations in a user-friendly fashion. All thermodynamic pKa values and limiting electrophoretic mobilities for arbitrarily charged substances having any number of ionic forms are calculated by one fit. The user input consists of the buffer composition of the set of BGEs and experimentally measured effective mobilities of the inspected weak electrolyte.     

Use of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids as background electrolytes in capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of inorganic anions

Separation of inorganic anions in CE is often a challenging task because the electrophoretic mobilities of inorganic anions are comparable to or even greater than the EOF mobility. In this study, we present the use of ionic liquids (ILs) as background electrolytes (BGEs) in CE of inorganic anions. The 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ILs as BGEs dynamically coated the capillary wall and induced a reversed EOF. This allowed the anions to comigrate with the EOF and yielded a rapid separation. Increasing the alkyl chain length of the ILs and BGE concentration can significantly improve the separation resolution. With 40 mM 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate as BGE, good separations of five model anions (Br-, I-, NO2(-), NO3(-), and SCN-) were achieved in a range of buffer pH values. The separation efficiency was as high as 34 600-155 000, and the RSDs of the migration times were less than 0.8% (n = 5).     

Determination of effective charges and ionic mobilities of polycationic antimicrobial peptides by capillary isotachophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis

Capillary ITP (CITP) and CZE were applied to the determination of effective charges and ionic mobilities of polycationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Twelve AMPs (deca‐ to hexadecapeptides) containing three to seven basic amino acid residues (His, Lys, Arg) at variable positions of peptide chain were investigated. Effective charges of the AMPs were determined from the lengths of their ITP zones, ionic mobilities, and molar concentrations, and from the same parameters of the reference compounds. Lengths of the ITP zones of AMPs and reference compounds were obtained from their CITP analyses in cationic mode using leading electrolyte (LE) composed of 10 mM NH₄OH, 40 mM AcOH (acetic acid), pH 4.1, and terminating electrolyte (TE) containing 40 mM AcOH, pH 3.2. Ionic mobilities of AMPs and singly charged reference compounds (ammediol or arginine) were determined by their CZE analyses in the BGE of the same composition as the LE. The effective charges numbers of AMPs were found to be in the range 1.65–5.04, i.e. significantly reduced as compared to the theoretical charge numbers (2.86–6.99) calculated from the acidity constants of the analyzed AMPs. This reduction of effective charge due to tightly bound acetate counterions (counterion condensation) was in the range 17–47% depending on the number and type of the basic amino acid residues in the AMPs molecules. Ionic mobilities of AMPs achieved values (26.5‐38.6) × 10⁻⁹ m²V⁻¹s⁻¹ and in most cases were in a good agreement with the ratio of their effective charges and relative molecular masses.     

Separation of nucleoside mono-, di- and triphosphates by capillary electrophoresis via cadmium complexation

Summary The CE separation of twelve nucleotides (5′-mono-, di-, triphosphates of adenosine, guanosine, cytidine and uridine) was improved by adding cadmium ion to the ammonium citrate/citric acid buffer (pH 5, ionic strength 100 mM). Cadmium ion acts as a complexing agent for some nucleotides (ATP, CTP, GTP, UTP, GDP). In order to accelerate the separation, the electroosmotic flow was reversed by flushing the fused-silica capillary with 0.2 % aqueous solution of the polycationic surfactant hexadimethrine bromide. A good separation of the twelve nucleotides studied was then achieved on a dynamically coated capillary in less than 5 min by using an ammonium citrate/citric acid buffer (pH 5, ionic strength 100 mM) to which 2 mM cadmium ion has been added. High peak efficiencies were obtained (210 000 theoretical plates) and the resolution between two adjacent peaks was always greater than 1.5.     

Application of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids as background electrolyte in capillary zone electrophoresis for the simultaneous determination of five anthraquinones in Rhubarb

A capillary zone electrophoresis method using only 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids as background electrolyte for the simultaneous determination of five anthraquinone derivatives including aloe-emodin, emodin, chrysophanol, physcion and rhein in Rhubarb species was described. Ion association constants, K_ass, between anthraquinone anions and imidazolium cations were determined by analyzing the electrophoretic mobility change of anthraquinone anions using a non-linear least-squares method and factors contributing to ion associability were systematically clarified. For method optimization, several parameters such as ionic liquids concentration, background electrolyte pH and applied voltage, on the separation were evaluated and the optimum conditions were obtained as follows: 90 mM 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (pH 11.0) with an applied voltage of 20 kV. Under these conditions, the method has been successfully applied to the determination of anthraquinones in extracts of two kinds of Rhubarb plants (R. palmatum and R. hotaoense) within 12 min. The method proposed herein was shown to be much simpler than the previously reported methods.     

Objective testing for the dependence of electrophoretic mobilities upon size in capillary zone electrophoresis

Summary Eighteen peptides have been modeled. From the volumetric data derived, and published mobilities, the relationship between electrophoretic mobility (μ_ep) and the hydrodynamic radius(r) has been examined. Objective testing with respect to size has been achieved by the log-log version of generalized relationship. (1) From the gradient of the plot versus log r(2.02) there is good support for the inverse square law (μ_ep α 1/r²). Equivalent calculations using molecular weight (M_r) and the number of amino acid residues (n) similarly lead to μ_ep α 1/M _r ^2/3 and μ_ep α 1/n^2/3, respectively. However, the strength of the correlation is diminished as the precision of the representation of size is degraded. (2) An examination of the effect of size at fixed charge and a statistical analysis of the charge distribution on the peptides leads to the conclusion that deviations from the averaged behaviour arise from a charge-induced volumetric effect. Taken together, (1) and (2) indicate that whilst net charge and total size can describe average electrophoretic behaviour well, these parameters are inadequate to describe the specific mobilities of individual analytes. Objective analysis of alkylpyridine data indicates μ_ep α 1/r^x where x=2.6–2.8 (depending upon the nature of the r values utilized), but is certainly ≠1 as may have been presumed. A very small range of values may be responsible for this surprising result.     

Determination of preservatives in soft drinks by capillary electrophoresis with ionic liquids as the electrolyte additives

A capillary electrophoresis method for separating preservatives with various ionic liquids as the electrolyte additives has been developed. The performances for separation of the preservatives using five ionic liquids with different anions and different substituted group numbers on imidazole ring were studied. After investigating the influence of the key parameters on the separation (the concentration of ionic liquids, pH, and the concentration of borax), it has been found that the separation efficiency could be improved obviously using the ionic liquids as the electrolyte additives and tested preservatives were baseline separated. The proposed capillary electrophoresis method exhibited favorable quantitative analysis property of the preservatives with good linearity (r² = 0.998), repeatability (relative standard deviations ≤ 3.3%) and high recovery (79.4–117.5%). Furthermore, this feasible and efficient capillary electrophoresis method was applied in detecting the preservatives in soft drinks, introducing a new way for assaying the preservatives in food products.     

Separation of organic and inorganic arsenic species by capillary zone electrophoresis

Summary Capillary zone electrophoresis has been used to separate arsenite, arsenate, dimethylarsinic acid, and phenyl-,p-aminophenyl-, ando-aminophenylarsinic acids. Identification and quantification of the arsenic species at mg L⁻¹ levels was possible by use of direct UV detection at 200 nm. The relative standard deviation (n=7) ranged from 0.97 to 1.52% for migration times and from 2.08 to 4.31% for peak areas. A method for rapid separation of inorganic arsenic species was also developed; by use of this method arsenite and arsenate could be separated within 2 min. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999     

Capillary zone electrophoresis of proteins applying ionic liquids for dynamic coating and as background electrolyte component

The use of ionic liquids in capillary electrophoresis, either as coating material or as components of the background electrolyte needs systematic standardization to set up optimal conditions. Excellent separation of the proteins was achieved using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([emim][BF₄]) or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([bmim][BF₄]) ionic liquids using the properly made ionic-liquid–water binary mixtures for the experiments. The binary mixture has a distinctly stable and well perceptible low pH, which depends on the concentration of the ionic liquid, and on the preparation time of the mixture. Optimal conditions for the electrophoretic separation were obtained upon a multivariate analysis of the experimental parameters (applied voltage, migration time, concentration, and type of the ionic liquid). The standardized condition provides a low electroendosmotic flow toward the anode, which, however, did not hinder the proteins to migrate toward the cathode. The migration of cytochrome c, lysozyme, myoglobin, trypsin, and apo-transferrin at a pH around 2, far below the isoelectric points of the proteins, showed RSD values of the migration times less than 7.5% and less than 6.5% when using [emim][BF₄] or [bmim][BF₄], respectively, either in run-to-run or day-to-day experiments. The determination of the extent of the EOF is not possible with the commonly used EOF markers, due to interaction with the ionic-liquid constituents. The interaction of the ionic liquids with the proteins influences the migration order in zone electrophoresis. This method has been applied successfully for the analyses of real biological samples such as proteins from egg whites and human tears.     

The effect of electric field strength,buffer type and concentration on separation parameters in capillary zone electrophoresis

Summary Probe solutes were used to investigate the effect of buffer type, concentration and applied voltage on solute mobility, column efficiency and resolution in capillary zone electrophoresis. With low conductivity buffers higher concentrations and/or higher voltages could be used to improve column efficiency and resolution. Doubling the concentration of the buffer doubles the amount of heat generated inside the column while doubling the applied voltage cause a 4-fold increase. Solute migration time is approximately an inverse function of the charge density of the buffer's cation. Analysis time is increased by about 30% if the buffer concentration is doubled while it is cut in half if the applied voltage is doubled. Column efficiency is improved (higher theoretical plate count) with increasing buffer concentration and/or applied voltage as long as the heat generated is efficiently dissipated. The separation factor is directly related to analysis time and, therefore, selectivity improves with increasing buffer concentration but decreases with increasing applied voltage. Hence, resolution is optimized by increasing buffer concentration at a moderate applied voltage.     

1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids and an anionic surfactant: Excellent background electrolyte modifiers for the analysis of benzodiazepines through capillary electrophoresis

In this study, we found that adding 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as modifiers in the background electrolyte (BGE) for capillary electrophoresis enhanced the separation of benzodiazepines. In particular, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([BMIM][NTf₂]) was the best IL additive for the separation system because its anionic moiety interacted favorably with the benzodiazepines. We added SDS because of its known effect on the separation of hydrophobic analytes. We optimized the separation conditions in terms of the concentrations of the IL, SDS, and organic solvent, the pH, and the BGE's ionic strength. The optimal BGE, containing 170 mM [BMIM][NTf₂] and 10 mM SDS, provided baseline separation, high efficiency, and satisfactory peak shapes for the benzodiazepines. The separation mechanism was based on heteroassociation between the anionic moiety of the IL and the benzodiazepines, with SDS improving the resolution of the separation. The limits of detection for the seven analytes ranged from 2.74 to 4.42 μg/mL. We subjected a urine sample to off-line solid phase extraction (SPE) prior to the analysis of its benzodiazepine content. Our experimental results reveal that the combination of [BMIM][NTf₂] and SDS provides adequate separation efficiency for its application to CE analyses of benzodiazepines after SPE concentration.     

Determination of binding constants of multiple charged cyclodextrin complexes by ACE using uncorrected and ionic strength corrected actual mobilities of the species involved

In this study, the apparent binding constants and limiting mobilities of the multiply charged complexes of the Δ− and Λ−enantiomers of Ru(II)- and Fe(II)-polypyridyl associates ([Ru(2,2′-bipyridine)₃]²⁺, [Ru(1,10-phenanthroline)₃]²⁺, and [Fe(1,10-phenanthroline)₃]²⁺) with single-isomer 2,3-diacetylated-6-sulfated-cyclodextrins (CDs) (12Ac-6S-α-CD, 14Ac-7S-β-CD, and 16Ac-8S-γ-CD) were determined by ACE using uncorrected and ionic strength corrected actual mobilities of the species involved. Two limiting models were tested for the ionic strength correction of the actual mobilities based on an empirical relation for the ionic strength correction of multivalent ionic species. In model 1, the nominal values of the charge numbers (z_S,nom) and analytical concentrations (c_S,nom) of the above CD selectors in the BGEs were applied for calculation of the BGE ionic strength, as usual. In model 2, the CD selectors were considered as singly charged species (z_S = −1) with |z_S,nom|-times higher concentrations in the BGE than their analytical concentrations (c_S = |z_S,nom| × c_S,nom) in the calculation of the BGE ionic strength. In all three cases–with uncorrected actual mobilities as well as with actual mobilities corrected according to the two limiting models–the measured effective mobilities of the above enantiomers fit well the theoretical curves of their mobility dependences on the CD selectors concentrations in the BGE, with high average coefficients of determination (R² = 0.9890–0.9995). Nevertheless, the best physico-chemically meaningful values of the apparent binding constants and the limiting mobilities of the enantiomer-CDs complexes with low RSDs were obtained using the actual mobilities of the species involved corrected according to model 2.     

On-line sample concentration of organic anions in capillary zone electrophoresis by micelle to solvent stacking

Micelle to solvent stacking (MSS) is a new on-line sample concentration technique for charged analytes in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Sample concentration in MSS mainly relies on the reversal in the effective electrophoretic mobility of the analyte at the boundary zone between the sample solution (S) and CZE background solution (BGS) inside the capillary. The basic condition for MSS is that the S is prepared in a matrix that contains an additive (i.e., micelles) which interacts with and has an opposite charge compared to the analytes. In addition, the BGS must contain a sufficient percentage of organic solvent. MSS was first reported for organic cations using anionic dodecyl sulfate micelles as additive in the S and methanol or acetonitrile as organic solvent in the BGS. Here, theoretical and experimental studies on MSS are described for organic anions using cationic cetyltrimethyl ammonium micelles as additive in the S and methanol as organic solvent in the BGS. Up to an order of magnitude improvement in concentration sensitivity was obtained for the test hypolipidaemic drugs using MSS in CZE with UV detection. The optimized method was also evaluated to the analysis of a spiked wastewater sample that was subjected to a simple extraction step.     

Dynamically coating the capillary with 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids for separation of basic proteins by capillary electrophoresis

Ionic substances with melting points close to room temperature are referred to as ionic liquids. Because ionic liquids are environmentally benign and are good solvents for a wide range of both organic and inorganic materials, interest for their potential uses in different chemical processes is increasing. In this paper, a capillary electrophoretic method for the analysis of basic proteins including lysozyme, cytochrome c, trypsinoge, and α-chymotyypsinogen A is reported. The method, in which 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids are used as the running electrolytes, leads to a surface charge reversal on the capillary wall. The effects of the alkyl group, imidazolium counterion, and the concentration of the ionic liquids were discussed. The optimum buffer system was a 90 mM 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (1E-3MI-TFB) solution. The applied voltage was −15 kV and detection was performed by monitoring absorbance at 240 nm. Baseline separation, high efficiencies, and symmetrical peaks of four proteins were obtained. The R.S.D. values of migration times and peak areas were <0.68 and <3.0%, respectively. The separation mechanism seems to involve association between the imidazolium cations and the proteins.     

Characterization of antithrombin III from human plasma by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and capillary electrophoretic methods

The isoforms distribution of the glycoprotein antithrombin III (ATIII) derived from human plasma was investigated by means of isoelectric focusing (IEF) in polyacrylamide gels with immobilized pH gradients (IPG) and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) as well as capillary electrophoretic methods. It turned out that the presence of high concentrations of chaotropics (urea, thiourea) and zwitterionic detergents (3-[(3-cholamidepropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS)) was decisive for attaining good resolution of the protein isoforms. Resolution by IPG-IEF was obtained with excellent reproducibility and pI differences down to 0.01 pH units could be distinguished. ATIII-alpha and ATIII-beta-fractions preseparated by heparin affinity chromatography showed an analogous but shifted spot pattern consisting each of one major and three minor isoforms. The main isoforms of ATIII-alpha and ATIII-beta exhibit pI values of 5.18 and 5.32, respectively, both values determined in the presence of high concentrations of urea. The pI difference of 0.14 pH units correspond to the effect of two sialic acids absent in ATIII-beta. The formation and occurrence of ATIII dimers and trimers turned out to be dependent on the sample preparation. The results obtained by 2-DE were compared with those of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and capillary IEF (CIEF). Quantitative analysis regarding the CZE separated isoforms of plasma derived ATIII yielded a content of about 70% ATIII-alpha main isoform and about 6.6% of ATIII-beta. The pI values of ATIII determined by CIEF with internal calibration were in fair agreement with the pI values of the main isoforms achieved with 2-DE.     

离子液体为背景电解质的毛细管电泳-间接紫外检测法同时测定葡萄酒中无机阴离子和阳离子

以离子液体1-乙基-3-甲基咪唑对甲苯磺酸盐([EMIm]TS)为背景电解质,采用双端进样方式,实现了毛细管电泳-间接紫外检测法同时分析测定葡萄酒中无机阳离子(K⁺、Ca²⁺、Na⁺、Mg²⁺和Li⁺)和阴离子(Cl^-、SO■和ClO^-₃)。[EMIm]TS作为电泳缓冲溶液的同时,其阳离子和阴离子分别作为样品中阳离子和阴离子组分的间接紫外检测的背景电解质。在最佳分析条件下,可在6.5 min内完成8种无机离子的同时分离检测,其线性范围为0.005～0.7 g/L,相关系数为0.963～0.995,检出限(S/N=3)为1.2～12.5 mg/L。该方法成功测定了3种不同品牌的市售葡萄酒中8种无机离子。在3个加标水平下,8种无机离子的回收率为90.1%～110.5%,相对标准偏差(RSD)≤4.8%。结果表明,该方法可应用于葡萄酒中无机阴、阳离子的同时分离检测,且方法简单、快速且结果可靠。     

Size‐dependent electrophoretic migration and separation of water‐soluble gold nanoclusters by capillary electrophoresis

Recently, water‐soluble gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have attracted more and more attention due to their unique properties. In this study, penicillamine‐protected gold nanoclusters (Pen‐AuNCs) were synthesized and initially fractionated by sequential size‐selective precipitation (SSSP). The crude Pen‐AuNCs and SSSP fractions were separated by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with a diode array detector. The effects of key parameters, including the concentration of phosphate buffer, pH value and the ethanol content were systematically investigated. The separation of water‐soluble poly‐disperse AuNCs were well achieved at 30 mM phosphate buffer with 7.5% EtOH, pH 12.0, and applied voltage of 15 kV. The linear correlation between AuNCs diameter and mobility was observed. This finding provides an important reference for CE separation and product purification of water‐soluble AuNCs or other nanomaterials.