Capillary Action

Capillaries

Automated Capillary Electrophoresis Systems

Agilent's CE-MS System

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a fast-growing area of separation technology. CE techniques enable the high-resolution separation of an impressive variety of sample types, from ions and small molecules to macromolecules and from virus particles to whole cells. Online detectors speedily record sample component concentrations during these time efficient separations. "CE separations typically take 10-20 minutes," notes Joel Aliphon, product marketing manager at Beckman Coulter Inc. of Fullerton, Calif.

CE refers to a family of related analytical techniques that use very strong electric fields to separate molecules within narrow-bore capillaries (typically 20-100 µm internal diameter). The CE family includes techniques exclusive to the capillary format as well as capillary analogues of other methods such as slab gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing, and liquid chromatography.^1-3 Separations exploiting differences in analyte size, charge, hydrophobicity, ligand-binding properties, and even chirality can be implemented. CE techniques are...