Comparison of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography and solvent-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Abstract

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) was investigated with the goal of elucidating the influence exerted by the amount of lipophilic organic phase and the amount of co-surfactant on the migration of a number of neutral test solutes. Furthermore, MEEKC was compared to solvent-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The organic solvents methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 1-butanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and 2-ethoxyethanol serving as co-surfactants in MEEKC were used in similar concentrations in MEKC systems in order to compare the selectivity and separation efficiency of the two kinds of system. The solvent-modified MEKC technique proved to be very similar to MEEKC in performance with respect to both separation selectivity and efficiency of separation.