Additional Application Areas of Capillary Electrophoresis

A variety of free solution CE (FSCE) methods have been developed for the determination of low-mol-wt solutes. These samples have included metal ions, small amine compounds, small organic acids, and a range of inorganic anions. Separation mechanisms involve either simple FSCE or addition of a suitable chelating additive to achieve on-column chelation. Detection of these low-mol-wt species has predominantly been achieved by indirect UV detection (see Chapter 7 , Section 11), although several reports detail direct UV detection of ions separated as complexes generated on-column. A wide variety of application areas scanning a number of industries have been reported. Generally, results obtained by the CE method are compared to ion-exchange chromatography (IEC), atomic spectroscopy, or gravimetry. The features of the methods are described as simplicity, speed of analysis, and acceptable sensitivity.