Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis: a versatile completion of electrophoretic separation techniques

Electrophoresis. 2000 Dec;21(18):3994-4016. doi: 10.1002/1522-2683(200012)21:18<3994::AID-ELPS3994>3.0.CO;2-T.

Abstract

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) is the application of a conductive electrolyte dissolved in either one organic solvent or a mixture of several organic solvents to carry out zone electrophoresis or related techniques in fused-silica capillaries. A complete review on the fundamentals, the optimization of analytical methods, practical considerations, and applications is given. To explain the differences to CE in aqueous media, a brief summary on solvent properties and molecular interactions in solutions introduces the reader into these fields. The use of additives to tune separation selectivity by means beyond a pure zone-electrophoretic mechanism is discussed in detail for organic media. Special detection techniques providing high potential for NACE are presented. Data on the precision of NACE methods and a list of relevant applications are included. More specialized applications like the determination of physicochemical constants in NACE or the setup of a semipreparative mode are described.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Electrophoresis, Capillary / methods*
  • Solvents

Substances

  • Solvents