Micellar electrokinetic chromatography with MEKC

The FITC labeling method was also applied to chiral separations of amino acids on a microchip to determine the enantiomeric ratios of amino acids found on a meteorite [27], Since biotic amino acids are normally single enantiomers, chiral separations of amino acids are not truly clinical in nature, but illustrate the potential for chiral separations of small molecules of clinical interest. Ma-thies and co-workers used this technique to search for evidence of life in extraterrestrial environments. Enantiomeric forms of Val, Ala, Glu, and Asp could be discriminated by addition of a-, (3-, or y-cyclodextrin (CD) to the run buffer. Improved resolution with faster separations was found with respect to conventional CE. This method has been modified, by addition of SDS to the buffer, to perform cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC) [28]. Increasing the SDS concentration decreased the magnitude of elec-troosmotic flow (EOF), increasing the effective migration distance, and therefore the resolution on the microchips. 

As shown in Eq. (2) together with the chiral recognition Kk + Kg), the other necessary requirement for enantioseparations in CE is a mobility difference between the free and the complexed analyte fXf - fjL, 0). Otherwise, it will be impossible to transfer a chiral recognition into a chiral separation. This requirement does not hold when neutral analytes are analyzed with neutral chiral selectors. In such a case, an additional buffer component is required that will assist in generating a difference between the mobilities of an analyte in its free and complexed forms with a chiral selector. This is achieved by an achiral micellar phase in cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CD-MEKC) [9]. However, a charged CD or a chiral micellar phase can combine the... 

The elution order for neutral species in MEKC depends on the extent to which they partition into the micelles. Hydrophilic neutrals are insoluble in the micelle s hydrophobic inner environment and elute as a single band as they would in CZE. Neutral solutes that are extremely hydrophobic are completely soluble in the micelle, eluting with the micelles as a single band. Those neutral species that exist in a partition equilibrium between the buffer solution and the micelles elute between the completely hydrophilic and completely hydrophobic neutrals. Those neutral species favoring the buffer solution elute before those favoring the micelles. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography has been used to separate a wide variety of samples, including mixtures of pharmaceutical compounds, vitamins, and explosives. 

A variety of formats and options for different types of applications are possible in CE, such as micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), isotachophoresis (ITP), and capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE). The main applications for CE concern biochemical applications, but CE can also be useful in pesticide methods. The main problem with CE for residue analysis of small molecules has been the low sensitivity of detection in the narrow capillary used in the separation. With the development of extended detection pathlengths and special optics, absorbance detection can give reasonably low detection limits in clean samples. However, complex samples can be very difficult to analyze using capillary electrophoresis/ultraviolet detection (CE/UV). CE with laser-induced fluorescence detection can provide an extraordinarily low LOQ, but the analytes must be fluorescent with excitation peaks at common laser wavelengths for this approach to work. Derivatization of the analytes with appropriate fluorescent labels may be possible, as is done in biochemical applications, but pesticide analysis has not been such an important application to utilize such an approach. 

Pluym et al. compared the use of CE to that of HPLC in chemical and pharmaceutical quality control. They stated that CE could be considered as a complementary technique to HPLC because of its large separation capacity, its simplicity, and its economical benefits. Jimidar et al. decided that CE offers high separation efficiency and can be applied as an adjunct in HPLC method validation. Mol et al. evaluated the use of micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI—MS) in impurity profiling of drugs, which resulted in efficient separations. 

Dedicated applications of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) coupled to MS are discussed, particularly in the field of drug analysis. Development of other capillary-based electrodriven separation techniques such as non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) hyphenated with MS are also treated. The successful coupling of these electromigration schemes with MS detection provides an efficient and sensitive analytical tool for the separation, quantitation, and identification of numerous pharmaceutical, biological, therapeutic, and environmental compounds. 

Besides CZE and NACE, micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is also widely used, and ionic micelles are used as a pseudo-stationary phase. MEKC can therefore separate both ionic and neutral species (see Chapter 2). Hyphenating MEKC with ESI/MS is problematic due to the non-volatility of micelles, which contaminate the ionization source and the MS detector, resulting in increased baseline noise and reduced sensitivity. However, MEKC—ESI/MS was applied by Mol et al. for identifying drug impurities in galantamine samples. Despite the presence of non-volatile SDS, all impurities were detected with submicrogram per milliliter sensitivity and could be further characterized by MS/MS. 

Figure 13.9 Microchip-based micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) electro-pherogram of a mixture of nitroaromatics and nitramines. Analytes 20 ppm of each (1) TNB, (2) DNB, (3) NB, (4) TNT, (5) tetryl, (6) 2,4-DNT, (7) 2,6-DNT, (8) 2-, 3-, and 4-NT, (9) 2-Am-4,6-DNT, (10) 4-Am-2,6-DNT. Conditions MEKC buffer, 50 mM borate, pH 8.5, 50 mM SDS, 5 M Cy7, separation voltage 4 kV, separation distance 65 mm. (Reprinted in part with permission from [37]. Copyright 2000 American Chemical Society.)...

Versatility of CE separation modes zone electrophoresis (CZE), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), gel electrophoresis (CGE), isotachophoresis (CITP), isoelectric focusing (CIEF), capillary electrochromatography (CEC, a hybrid with HPLC), and last but not least Affinity CE (ACE)... 

Excellent chromatographic performance using micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) has been demonstrated for the a-, / -, and iso-a-acids. Thus the six major components of a mixture of a- and /3-acids can be baseline resolved within 10 minutes (47). Similarly, the six major iso-a-acids can be baseline resolved within 20 minutes (48). De Keukeleire presented MEKC separations of the p- and tetrahydroiso-a-acids that compared well with conventional HPLC analyses (17). 

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) is a modality of liquid chromatography having a surfactant molecule in the form of a micelle, which was introduced by Terabe et al. in 1984 [38]. The formation and separation occur in the capillary and, hence, it is also called micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC). This modality is useful for some specific molecules having solubilities in micelles and, therefore, utilized for the separation and identification of such compounds with great efficiency, reproducibility, and low levels of detections. The most commonly used compounds for micelle formation are sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), sodium tetradecyl sulfate, sodium decanesulfonate, sodium /V-lauryl-/V-mcthyllauratc, sodium... 

Conceptually. CE enantioseparations are mainly applied to charged SAs. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) (introduced by Terabe et al. in 1984 488 ), in contrast, permits the separation of electrically neutral compounds. In enantiomer separation by MEKC. ionic pseudo-stationary phases, such as chiral micelles composed of chiral SO moieties, which migrate according to their electrophoretic mobility, may interact stereoselectively with the solutes to be separated. MEKC with synthetic (e.g. A-dodecoxycarbonylvalines, commercialized as SDVal by Waters) 1489.490) or naturally occurring chiral surfactants (e.g. bile salts) 1491-494). and cyclodextrin-moditied MEKC (most often SDS/CD combinations) 1495-498) are the mo.st widely used selector systems in MEKC. The topic of MEKC enantioseparation has been reviewed by Nishi )499). 

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