Separation efficiency of dual-selector systems in capillary electrophoresis

We introduce an easy but highly descriptive model of separation efficiency of dual-selector systems in capillary electrophoresis. The model expresses effective mobilities of analytes in dual-selector mixtures as a function of mixture composition and total concentration. The effective mobility follows the pattern familiar from single-selector systems, while complexation constant and mobility of the complex are replaced by the same but "overall" parameters and a total concentration of the mixture takes the role of a selector concentration. The overall parameters can be either calculated from the individual ones (an arbitrary mixture) or measured directly (a particular mixture). We inspected two model dual-selector systems consisting of heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-β-CD and β-CD and of heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-β-CD and 6-O-α-maltosyl-β-CD, and ibuprofen and flurbiprofen as model analytes (pH 8.2, non-enantioselective separation). Adopting any optimization strategy typically used in single-selector systems and finding an optimal mixture composition and total concentration is perhaps the prime benefit of the model. We demonstrate this approach on the selectivity parameter and show that the model is precise enough to be used in analytical practice. It also results that an electromigration order (reversal) of analytes can exhibit a rather curious dependency on the mixture composition and concentration. Last, the model can be used for better understanding of separation principles in dual-selector systems in general.