VARIOUS APPROACHES TO ANALYSIS OF DIFFICULT SAMPLE MATRICES OF ANIONS USING CAPILLARY ION ELECTROPHORESIS

Capillary ion electrophoresis is a capillary electrophoretic technique optimized for the analysis of low-molecular-mass inorganic and organic ions. Sensitive detection is based predominantly on indirect UV since the majority of the ions lack specific chromophores. Rapid separations with efficiencies approaching 1 000 000 theoretical plates are a result of directing the electroosmotic flow towards the detector in combination with an appropriately mobile background electrolyte co-ion. Selectivity of separations can easily be predicted with the aid of readily available ionic equivalent conductances. Described in this paper are the optimized separations of several types of samples considered until recently to be beyond the capabilities of capillary electrophoresis. These include samples of disparate concentration levels, reactive anions and trace ion analysis with detection limits in the low parts per trillion (10(12)) concentration range.