HIGH-EFFICIENCY FILTER FLUOROMETER FOR CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS AND ITS APPLICATION TO FLUORESCEIN THIOCARBAMYL AMINO-ACIDS

Fluorescence detection has produced excellent detection limits in capillary electrophoresis. Laser excitation produces the highest sensitivity detection. The perceived difficulties associated with the use of the laser has discouraged applications of fluorescence to capillary electrophoresis. In particular, difficulties in wavelength selection limit the choice of chemistry available in capillary electrophoresis. We report the design of a filter fluorometer based on a compact 75 W xenon are lamp for capillary electrophoresis; the instrument produces detection limits (sigma) of 20 zeptomol (1 zeptomol = 10(-21) mel) for fluorescein and 200 zeptomol for fluorescein labeled amino acids.