Abstract

The separations resulting from capillary electrophoresis performed in a microbore capillary tube are detected on-line by focusing a light beam in the form of a line or sheet of light on the capillary passage in which the separations take place so that the width of the sheet of light encompasses the length of the passage in which separations of interest are expected to take place. The separations form concentration gradients in the capillary passage encompassed by the light beam and cause refraction of portions of the light beam. The variation in the intensity of light along the width of the light beam after passage through the sample is sensed and is indicative of the concentration gradients and separation occurring in the sample. An apparatus including a relatively short capillary tube with liquid reservoirs secured at each end may be used with the detector to perform various capillary electrophoretic separation techniques. By using a reagent which reacts with an analyte not having an isoelectric point to form a product having an isoelectric point, such analyte may be detected and measured by isoelectric focusing techniques.

Other References

• Jiaqi Wu and Janusz Pawliszyn "High-Performance Capillary Isoelectric Focusing with a Concentration Gradient Detector" Analytical Chemistry vol. 64, No. 2 (Jan. 15, 1992)
• Jiaqi Wu and Janusz Pawliszyn "Universal Detection for Capillary Isoelectric Focusing without Mobilization Using a Concentration Gradient Imaging System"πAnalytical Chemistry, vol. 64, No. 2 (Jan. 15, 1992