Selectivity manipulation in micellar electrokinetic chromatography.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) permits the separation of electrically neutral analytes by chromatographic principles in a capillary electrophoresis system. The most effective way to obtain high resolution in MEKC is to increase the separation factor, as in conventional chromatography. The separation factor in MEKC depends on the molecular structure of the micelle and hence on the surfactant used, the pH of solution, and the nature of any additives to the micellar solution. The hydrophilic moieties of surfactant molecules generally affect selectivity more than do the hydrophobic moieties. Chiral surfactants enable the enantiomeric separation of mixtures of chiral solutes to be achieved. Mixed micelles consisting of ionic and nonionic surfactants display different selectivity from that of single ionic micelles. Additives such as cyclodextrins, ion-pair reagents, urea, organic solvents and metals can also serve as useful modifiers of the micellar solution for improving separation. In particular, cyclodextrins are useful for the separation of aromatic isomers and enantiomers. A general introductory guide to the design of successful separations by MEKC is proposed, based primarily on the author's work.