Capillary Electrophoresis of Water-Soluble Vitamins

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a relatively new analytical separation technique that is not usually introduced in the undergraduate analytical chemistry curriculum. The technique’s growing popularity in research, industrial, and commercial laboratories, however, should be a reason to consider its introduction at this level. Here, we describe an exercise utilizing capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography. This exercise provides a suitable introduction to capillary electrophoresis and illustrates the mechanism for the separation of ionized and nonionized water-soluble vitamins (B1, B2 phosphate, B3 niacinamide, and B12). Joule heating can also be easily introduced as part of the exercise.