Nonaqueous media for separation of nonionic organic compounds by capillary electrophoresis

For the separation of neutral compounds by micellar electrokinetic chromatography, separations are usually carried out in predominantly aqueous solution in order to preserve the charged micelle necessary for the separation. We now show that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds can be separated efficiently by capillary electrophoresis in pure methanol or in aqueous-organic mixtures containing a high percentage of methanol. Sodium tetradecyl sulfate was the preferred surfactant. The effects of pH, solvent composition, surfactant structure, and surfactant concentration on the separations were studied. Reproducible migration times and linear calibration plots were obtained.