High performance capillary electrophoresis biopolymers

High performance capillary electrophoresis in its current form is a new technique. Its feasibility has been proven by the analysis and separation of small ions, drugs, chiral molecules, polymers, and biopolymers.93 We are learning more every day about the small tricks of the trade of the technique, and the efficiency and reproducibility of the methods are improving. 

High performance capillary electrophoresis is one form of free-solution electrophoresis. CE is useful to researchers and analysts working in areas in which traditional electrophoresis is customarily applied (e.g., biopolymer analysis) and also in disciplines not usually associated with electrophoretic analysis, such as inorganic ion analysis. The potential application areas of CE are vast, because this technique can separate a variety of ligates, from inorganic ions up to intact cells, using the same instrumental hardware designed for separations based on different physical-chemical mechanisms. 

C Miller, J Rivier. Peptide chemistry development of high performance liquid chromatography and capillary zone electrophoresis. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 40, 265, 1996. 

The performance of capillary electrophoresis, for the separation of biopolymers, is comparable to or better than that of HPLC. The basis for separation relies on the choice of an appropriate buffer to be adapted to the analysis. Although reproducibility is more difficult to control, mass sensitivity is relatively high a few thousand molecules can be detected. Sample quantity is very small and solvent and reagent consumption during an analysis is negligible (Fig. 8.10). 

The advantages of HPLC over classical chromatographic methods stem from the employment of a precision instrument that utilizes high-performance columns with concomitantly high analytical speed and resolution and affords total control over the chromatographic process and sensitivity of analysis. In a way, the recent emergence of capillary electrophoresis (CE) follows the same patterns electrophoresis, a well-established and widely used method of biopolymer analysis, is carried out... 

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