Abstract

The book describes the theory and applications of Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) in the field of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. It is targeted towards users who are intimately involved in analytical problems, especially those which involve small samples. This book presents the technique of capillary electrophoresis from the point of view of the serious hands-on use in the field of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis. An overview of general theory is presented to acquaint the novice with the fundamental principles. A more theoretical approach is taken in the presentation of electrokinetic chromatography. The next chapter discusses advances in column technologies, the preceding chapters having provided a foundation as to how separations occur. In the next three chapters, recognized experts in their fields present fundamentals and state-of-the-art techniques in the areas of optical, electrochemical and mass spectrometric detection. The major focus of the remaining chapters is on applications. This includes the analysis of pharmaceuticals, amino acids and peptides, macromolecules, nucleosides, nucleotides and oligonucleotides. The use of CE for analysis of small ions and separation of biological particles is also discussed. The issue of sample preparation for analysis by CE is addressed, especially as it relates to clinical analysis.