This project, supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program, is directed at the development of new instrumentation and methodologies to enhance the capabilities of capillary electrophoresis (CE). A novel double-beam absorbance geometry is employed whereby two photodiode arrays are used to obtain spatially resolved detection while correcting for background absorbance and source drift. Development of flow counterbalanced CE, based on a hydrostatically driven liquid flow, is directed at enhancing detectability and resolution. A jet flow interface is being investigated as a rapid means of sample introduction. Size exclusion chromatography is used as an additional separation means prior to the presently employed liquid chromatography-CE multidimensional methodology. Finally, the development of methods for using ultra-high voltages (300 kV) is investigated in an attempt to open a new mode of CE operation. Methods of separating the constituents of complex samples are integral to developments in biological and environmental analyses. Professor Jorgenson's laboratory is a leader in the development of new instrumentation for capillary electrophoresis. Capillary electrophoresis is a very important tool in the analysis of biological samples, such as blood and urine, and is finding increased usage in the analysis of environmental specimens as well. Work in this area has led to faster, more sensitive, and more reliable analyses. The work to be done by Professor Jorgenson and his students is likely to result in new approaches and instrumentation for complex chemical analyses.
