Selectivity manipulation using nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis. Application to tropane alkaloids and amphetamine derivatives.

Non-aqueous capillary electrophoresis was investigated for its potential in the analysis of pharmaceutical compounds, namely tropane alkaloids and amphetamine derivatives. The separation of these drugs was compared in aqueous and organic media such as methanol and/or acetonitrile. Selectivity, migration times and efficiency were critically affected by the composition of the methanol/acetonitrile mixture, as well as by the nature and the concentration of the electrolyte. In particular, the migration orders of two positional isomers, littorine and hyoscyamine, were inverted in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid in the nonaqueous medium. The same behavior was observed for amphetamine-methamphetamine and for two methylenedioxyamphetamine derivatives.