Separation of acidic solutes by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis in acetonitrile-based media: Combined effects of deprotonation and heteroconjugation

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE) is a chemical separation technique that has grown in popularity over the past few years. In this report, we focus on the combination of heteroconjugation and deprotonation in the NACE separation of phenols using acetonitrile (ACN) as the buffer solvent. By preparing various dilute buffers consisting of carboxylic acids and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide in ACN, selectivity may be manipulated based on a solute’s dissociation constant as well as its ability to form heterogeneous ions with the buffer components. ACN’s low viscosity, coupled with its ability to allow for heteroconjugation, often leads to rapid and efficient separations that are not possible in aqueous media. In this report, equations are derived showing the dependence of mobility on various factors, including the pKa of the analyte, the pH and concentration of the buffer, and the analyte–buffer heteroconjugation constant (Kf). The validity of these equations is tested as several nitrophenols are separated at different pH values and concentrations. Using nonlinear regression, the Kf values for the heteroconjugate formation between the nitrophenols and several carboxylate anions are calculated. Also presented in this report are the NACE separations of the 19 chlorophenol congeners and the 11 priority pollutant phenols (used in US Environmental Protection Agency methods 604, 625/1625 and 8270B).