Capillary zone electrophoresis neutral molecules

Surfactants are amphophilic molecules, which consist of a hydrophobic carbohydrate part and a hydrophilic head group. In capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), different types, i.e., anionic, cationic, but also neutral, tensides are employed. The ability of such molecules to interact with ionic and nonionic species has been used in ion chromatography and, in particular, in SDS-poly-(acrylamide) gel electrophoresis (PAGE) (15). 

The type of electrophoresis we have been discussing so far is called capillary zone electrophoresis. Separation is based on differences in electrophoretic mobility. If the capillary wall is negative, electroosmotic flow is toward the cathode (Figure 26-20) and the order of elution is cations before neutrals before anions. If the capillary wall charge is reversed by coating it with a cationic surfactant (Figure 26-24) and the instrument polarity is reversed, then the order of elution is anions before neutrals before cations. Neither scheme separates neutral molecules from one another. 

The technique is therefore particularly suited to water-soluble species which possess a charge, which includes most dyes. Variations from the main technique (often referred to as capillary zone electrophoresis, CZE) do exist and these include the use of surfactants in the buffer to create micelles (often thought of as creating a pseudo-stationary phase inside the capillary) which then improve the separation of neutral species (and frequently charged molecules) owing to hydrophobic interactions. The term micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MECC or MEKC) is often used for CE separations carried out with the aid of a micellar buffer solution. 

Walbroehl, Y. and Jorgenson, J. W. Capillary zone electrophoresis of neutral molecules by solvophobic association with tetraalkylammonium ions, AnaZ. Chem., 58, 479, 1988. 

Why is micellar electrokinetic chromatography able to resolve neutral molecules, whereas capillary zone electrophoresis cannot ... 

Owing to its outstanding high-performance separation potential also capillary electrophoresis has been employed in different modes and with different detection methods for separation and determination of MC. Both capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), which employs a surfactant above the critical micelle concentration to separate neutral and uncharged molecules based on electromigration principle, have been employed for determination of... 

Capillary electrophoresis is primarily limited to small molecules that are water solul le because of their compatibility with the run buffer. Other similar techniques such as isoelectric focusing and capillary zone elec-trophoresis ° have aided in the separation of proteins by allowing for the separation of larger proteins. In addition these techniques can separate isoforms of proteins and peptides by using an extraordinarily low pH range. However, capillary electrophoresis cannot separate neutral compounds, and... 

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