An Alternative Sample Introduction Device for a Home‐Made Capillary Electrophoresis System

Abstract

A home‐made capillary electrophoresis (CE) system with an alternative interface for hydrodynamic injection of sample solutions is described. The interface is an acrylic chamber whose efficiency of injection was evaluated by the separation of cysteine and methionine standards. Important parameters inherent to this system such as peristaltic pump rotation, system grounding, and injection time were carefully investigated. Although this is a batch‐wise system, the interface showed a good efficiency for nano‐liter injections and relative standard deviations (RSD) smaller than 3% for both signal measurement and migration time were obtained. This new interface allowed a minimal capillary handling and also guaranteed an excellent performance in terms of sample solution injection into the home‐made system.

Keywords:

• Injection device
• Home‐made CE
• Cysteine
• Methionine

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) for the scholarship to A. F. Lavorante and the fellowships to A. P. G. Gervasio, C. E. S. Miranda and M. C. B. Moraes.