Highly efficient and selective separations of a wide range of analytes obtained by an optimised microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography method

Microemulsion Electrokinetic Chromatography (MEEKC) has previously been reported to be useful for the separation of a range of hydrophobic solutes. The previous reports had tended to show relatively long separation times. In this report the separation and operation conditions were optimized and a method was successfully employed in a range of novel applications. High efficiencies, rapid separations and high repeatability were demonstrated. The applications developed included a range of both neutral and charged compounds. Both water-soluble and water-insoluble compounds were also well separated. The novel applications developed included analysis of basic drugs, various aromatic acids, a range of neutral aromatics, profiling of ink components, direct injection of urine for profiling purposes and the analysis of a range of amino acids and their derivatives. The method could also be used for hydrophobicity measurements of the resolved solutes based upon their migration times. This report clearly shows that MEEKC can be widely applied to a range of compounds and is especially useful for complex mixtures containing solutes with varying charge and hydrophobicity.