Separation of Sulfur Species in Water by Co-Electroosmotic Capillary Electrophoresis with Direct and Indirect UV Detection

Co-electroosmotic capillary electrophoresis (co-CZE) with both direct and indirect UV detection was investigated for the separation of sulfur species. With direct UV detection, the separation of S₂O^2? ₃, S₂O^2? ₄ was possible using 20 mM phosphate electrolyte containing 0.75 mM tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) and 15% acetonitrile. To obtain optimal peak shape and sensitivity using indirect UV detection, a range of background electrolytes (BGEs), including benzoate, phthalate, 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylate (2,6-PDCA) and trimellitate, were examined as the BGEs. Of all the BGEs, 2,6-PDCA gave high selectivity and indirect UV response due to its mobility matching to that of sulfur species and its high absorptivity. Detection limits in range of 3-6 μM were obtained using either direct UV or indirect UV detection. The proposed CZE methods were used for the determination of sulfur species in water samples, and provided fast separation of sulfur species in less than 5 min.