Separation of biphenyl nitrile compounds by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography with mixed surfactants

A mixture of nine biphenyl nitrile compounds with high hydrophobicity and similar structures was successfully separated by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) within 30 min. The buffer system contained 100 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 80 mmol/L sodium cholate (SC), 0.81% heptane, 7.5% n-butanol, 10% acetonitrile and 10 mmol/L borate. The addition of SC, organic modifiers, sample preparation and temperature all showed remarkable effect on the separation. Meanwhile, the MEEKC method was briefly compared with micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method.