Trace analysis of gamma-cyclodextrin in a sample of beta-cyclodextrin by capillary electrophoresis

A new capillary electrophoretic method for trace analysis of gamma-cyclodextrin, gamma-CD, in a sample of beta-CD has been developed, building on our recent work in which the tetraphenylborate ion, Ph4B-, was found to bind to gamma-CD three orders of magnitude more strongly than to beta-CD. The method involves measurement of the change of net electrophoretic mobility of Ph4B- and its CD complexes in a background electrolyte containing a fixed concentration of beta-CD. Good linearity was found between 1/deltamu and 1/Cgamma where deltamu is the difference in the mobility of Ph4B- in the beta-CD solution at a given and at zero concentration of gamma-CD, and Cgamma the gamma-CD concentration. The limit of detection for gamma-CD in a beta-CD sample was found to be 0.020% (w/w), and high precision and accuracy were obtained.