The optical purity of N-acetyl-L-cysteine was tested by capillary elec
trophoresis (CE). The D-enantiomer can be found down to a ratio of 0.4
to 99.6 within 4 min without the use of the D-form or the racemate as
a standard. The efficiency was optimized during the method developmen
t up to a theoretical plate number N of several hundred thousands.