A new insight into suction and dilution effects in capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry via an...

The hyphenation of CE with MS is nowadays accepted as a powerful analytical approach. Employing ESI, the most common interface, one challenge is to provide quantitative information, which is quite a difficult task, as it is linked, among other factors, to suction and dilution effects. In the coaxial ESI configuration, the suction effect has been presented in literature as stemming from nebulizing gas (NG) flow rate and drying gas temperature. But as this interface consists in three concentric capillaries, allowing for BGE, sheath liquid (SL) and NG mixing, it is demonstrated herein that other parameters are also involved in this suction effect: the CE capillary protrusion from the interface needle, SL flow rate, and overall BGE flow rate and velocity profile. Whereas NG flow rate is the parameter affecting suction to a greater extent, separation capillary protruding length, SL, and overall BGE flow rate have a significant additional impact on this phenomenon. It is shown that SL flow rate can affect suction differently according to the NG velocity, which may be explained by modification of the Taylor cone geometry. Furthermore, it appears that suction effect is noticeably favored by a parabolic velocity profile of the BGE, again probably due to the Taylor cone shape modification. Finally, the temperature gradient created by the contact between the heated NG and the separation capillary enhances this effect.