The Future of Multidimensional Electrokinetic Separations

Electrodriven separation techniques are destined to be included in many future multidimensional systems, as CE is increasingly accepted in the analytical laboratory. The combination of LC and CE should become easier as vendors work towards providing enhanced microscale pumps, injectors, and detectors (18). Detection is often a problem in capillary techniques due to the short path length that is inherent in the capillary. The work by Jorgenson s group mainly involved fluorescence detection to overcome this limit in the sensitivity of detection, although UV-VIS would be less restrictive in the types of analytes detected. Increasingly sensitive detectors of many types will make the use of all kinds of capillary electrophoretic techniques more popular. 

Data analysis is one aspect of multidimensional analyses that must be optimized in the future. The analysis of chromatographic data beyond one dimension is still exceedingly problematic, especially in the analyses of highly complex mixtures. Better software may need to be developed in order to analyze two- and three-dimensional peaks due to their complexity. Three-dimensional data is only useful today in terms of fingerprinting and often that even requires extensive data analysis. A great deal of research must still be carried out to make the interpretation and quantification of multidimensional data easier. 

Electrodriven techniques are useful as components in multidimensional separation systems due to their unique mechanisms of separation, high efficiency and speed. The work carried out by Jorgenson and co-workers has demonstrated the high efficiencies and peak capacities that are possible with comprehensive multidimensional electrodriven separations. The speed and efficiency of CZE makes it possibly the best technique to use for the final dimension in a liquid phase multidimensional separation. It can be envisaged that multidimensional electrodriven techniques will eventually be applied to the analysis of complex mixtures of all types. The peak capacities that can result from these techniques make them extraordinarily powerful tools. When the limitations of one-dimensional separations are finally realized, and the simplicity of multidimensional methods is enhanced, the use of multidimensional electrodriven separations may become more widespread. 

Jorgenson, Overview of electrophoresis , in New Directions in Electrophoretic Methods, Jorgenson, J. W. and M. Phillips (Eds), ACS Symposium Series 335, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, pp. 1-19 (1987). 

Jorgenson and K. DeArman Lukacs, Zone electrophoresis in open-tubular glass capillaries , Anal. Chem. 53 1298-1302 (1981). 

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