ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an update on the various disciplines within the technique and includes selected applications. It reviews recent developments in the areas of capillary technology, instrumentation, and detection. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) performed in free solution is perhaps the moststraight forward of CE formats. Selectivity in capillary zone electrophoresis is based on differences in electrophoretic mobility of individual analytes, which depends on the mass-to-charge ratio and the solution conformation of the analyte. The key operational parameter in free-solution capillary electrophoresis is the pH of the running buffer, as the electroosmotic flow and ionization of the analyte can be regulated by this variable. The role of buffers in capillary electrophoresis has been discussed in detail, with emphasis on buffer concentration, buffer type, and pH effects. Capillary isoelectric focusing provides yet another dimension to capillary electrophoresis by introducing a separation mechansim based on differences in the isoelectric points of biomolecules.
