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Updated: May 28, 2026

Sheathless Capillary Electrophoresis–Mass Spectrometry for Metabolic Profiling of Biological Samples
Published on: October 1, 2016
Flow-through microvial facilitating interface of capillary isoelectric focusing and electrospray ionization mass
Xuefei Zhong1, E Jane Maxwell, Chitra Ratnayake
1Department of Chemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Abstract:
A capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry (CE-MS) interface utilizing a flow-through microvial is used to ensure the electric continuity and supply the catholyte and mobilizer solutions during the capillary isoelectric focusing (cIEF) and mobilization process. The flow-through microvial provides a stable chemical environment and helps to improve the ionization efficiency without significantly diluting the analyte. The CE-MS interface facilitates the transfer of the mobilized cIEF effluent to the site of electrospray ionization, and the gaseous ions can be detected directly by a mass spectrometer. It also allows for complete focusing and mobilization processes to be performed automatically in programmed sequences with commercial CE systems. Two different strategies, using either a part of the capillary or the flow-through microvial of the CE-MS interface as the catholyte reservoir for bare fused silica capillaries or neutral coated capillaries, respectively, were developed for automated cIEF-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS. Reasonable separation efficiency was achieved using proper concentration of carrier ampholytes and suitable strategies of electroosmotic/electrophoretic mobilization.
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