Maximize your Capillary Electrophoresis System - GUIDE TO CAPILLARIES, REAGENTS, AND SUPPLIES FOR CE

Significance of Capillary Electrophoresis in Analytical Chemistry

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) delivers rapid, high-efficiency separations of charged analytes with minimal sample and buffer consumption. It complements liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, offering orthogonal selectivity for biomolecules, drugs, ions and environmental contaminants. Its low sample requirement and high resolution make CE indispensable in pharmaceutical quality control, food and beverage testing, environmental monitoring and forensic investigations.

Study Objectives and Overview

This guide presents a comprehensive portfolio of CE solution kits, capillaries, reagents and accessories optimized for Agilent CE systems and compatible setups. It highlights application-specific kits for inorganic and organic ions, specialty capillary formats, detection enhancements, CE/MS interfacing and essential consumables. The goal is to streamline method development, increase throughput and ensure robust, reproducible analyses across diverse matrices.

Methodology and Instrumentation

High-performance CE relies on precision-manufactured fused-silica capillaries with mirror-finish detection windows and polyimide coatings removed at the ends to reduce adsorption. Bare capillaries in various internal diameters support general separations. Extended light-path (“bubble cell”) capillaries increase UV sensitivity 3–5× without raising current. Polymer coatings such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and bonded fluorocarbon (µSIL-FC) control electroosmotic flow (EOF) and minimize wall interactions for proteins, peptides and carbohydrates. Hydrophilic µSIL-WAX and cross-linked µSIL-DNA capillaries enable cIEF and DNA separations in sieving polymer matrices. Agilent 7100 CE systems integrate automated voltage control, temperature regulation and sample handling, with plug-and-play compatibility for diode array detectors and 6000 Series mass spectrometers. Detection enhancements include a high-sensitivity cell with a 1.2 mm pathlength for >10× signal-to-noise improvement and extended linearity, plus CE/MS adapter and sprayer kits for seamless electrospray interface.

Key Findings and Discussion

Application kits for inorganic anions, cations, organic acids and forensic ions bundle preformulated buffers, capillaries, conditioning solutions and test mixtures with validated methods. Standard bare, extended-path and coated capillaries deliver tailored sensitivity, resolution and reproducibility. Extended path capillaries achieve enhanced UV detection without sacrificing separation efficiency. Coated capillaries (PVA, CEP) virtually eliminate EOF and reduce peak tailing in protein and amine analyses. µSIL-based coatings enable stable performance from pH 2.5–10 and support replaceable gel and cIEF applications. The high-sensitivity detection cell extends dynamic range and detection limits, while CE/MS coupling unlocks molecular weight determination and structural analysis directly from electrophoretic separations.

Benefits and Practical Applications

• Rapid deployment of validated kits minimizes bench time for routine assays.
• Wide selection of capillary formats ensures optimal balance of sensitivity, current and resolution.
• High-sensitivity detection enables trace impurity quantitation and low-level biomolecule analysis.
• Seamless CE/MS interface supports combined spectroscopic and mass spectrometric characterization.
• Compatibility with non-Agilent CE instruments broadens application scope.

Future Trends and Potential Applications

Next-generation capillary coatings and nanostructured inner surfaces will further reduce analyte-wall interactions and fine-tune EOF profiles for challenging biomolecular separations. Miniaturized CE-MS platforms promise portable diagnostics and in-field testing. Artificial intelligence and machine learning-driven method optimization will automate buffer selection and voltage programming. Expanded cloud-based support and third-party-independent kits will democratize CE technology across research and industrial laboratories.

Conclusion

This guide consolidates the essential CE components and workflows required to maximize analytical performance, from routine ion assays to advanced protein, peptide and CE-MS analyses. By leveraging specialized solution kits, diverse capillary technologies and detection upgrades, laboratories can achieve superior sensitivity, reproducibility and throughput for a wide range of analytical challenges.

Reference

Agilent Technologies. Guide to Capillaries, Reagents, and Supplies for CE. 2015. Publication 5991-5623EN.