Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of selected tropane alkaloids in a plant extract

The potential of nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis has been investigated for the separation of structurally similar tropane alkaloids. The effects of the organic solvent and of electrolyte composition on separation selecti vity, migration times, and efficiency are described. The addition of triflu oroacetic acid to the separation buffer was found beneficial for manipulati on of the order of migration of the two positional isomers littorine and hy oscyamine. Replicate injections under nonaqueous conditions gave migration time and peak area data of excellent precision. The application of the opti mized conditions to the analysis of hyoscyamine and scopolamine in genetica lly transformed root cultures of Datura candida x D. aurea is presented.