Multiplexed capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography with internal standardization

Although liquid chromatography and gas chromatography are the main workhorses in the analytical laboratory, samples can only be analyzed consecutively in an instrument. In this study, capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic chromatography separations are performed in a 96-capillary array system with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Migration times of four kinds of fluoresceins and six polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are normalized to one of the capillaries using two internal standards. The relative standard deviations after normalization are 0.6-1.4% for the fluoresceins and 0.1-1.5% for the PAHs. Quantitative calibration of the separations based on peak areas is also performed, again with substantial improvement over the raw data. This opens up the possibility of performing massively parallel separations for high-throughput chemical analysis for process monitoring, combinatorial synthesis, and clinical diagnosis.