Microchip capillary electrophoresis overview

There can be found good reviews on conventional and microchip capillary electrophoresis in forensic/security analysis [4 7] in the literature. The aim of this chapter is to overview the progress which has been made towards the development of portable microfluidic device for on-site and fast detection of nitrated explosives and to describe the major developments in this field (summarized details on analytical methods for microchip determination of nitroaromatic explosives can be found in Table 35.2). The corresponding practical protocol for measurements of explosives on microfluidic device with amperometric detector is described in Procedure 49 (see CD accompanying this book). 

Both chromatography and electrophoresis separation techniques are implemented in analytical microdevices. However, without any doubt, microchip capillary electrophoresis is still the most used method within microfiuidic platforms for environmental analysis. In this section, an overview of the fundamentals and applications of CE microchips to environmental analysis will be presented and, in lower extension, some aspects related to electrochromatography and HPLC on chip. 

In this overview, we will discuss some of the most common applications in the pharmaceutical industry environment that utilize capillary electrophoresis and microchip technology. Additional information can be found elsewhere (50— 69,121-128). The pie chart, which is presented in Fig. 3, summarizes the advantages of capillary electrophoresis. These results are based on a recent survey of pharmaceutical scientists (129). 

The aim of this chapter is to cover the theoretical and practical aspects of capillary gel electrophoresis. It also provides an overview of the key application areas of nucleic acid, protein, and complex carbohydrate analysis, affinity-based methodologies, as well as related microseparation methods such as ultra-thin-layer gel electrophoresis and electric field-mediated separations on microchips. It also gives the reader a better understanding of how to utilize this technology, and determine which actual method will provide appropriate technical solutions to problems that may have be perceived as more fundamental. Micropreparative aspects and applications are discussed in Chapter 12. 

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