The effect of butan-1-ol on the separation of inorganic anions using capillary zone electrophoresis with reversed electroosmotic flow

The separation selectivity of inorganic anions in capillary zone electropho resis with reversed electroosmotic flow was altered by incorporating less t han or equal to<7.5% v/v butan-1-ol in a chromate-based background electrol yte(BGE). Pronounced selectivity changes occurred for lipophilic anions, wh ereas, for the common inorganic anions, the changes were minor. The likely causes for these selectivity changes are discussed. Furthermore, BGEs with butan-1-ol yielded separations with (i) short times for lipophilic anions, (ii) smoother baselines, (iii) better resolutions, (iv) increased peak heig hts for iodide and thiocyanate, and (v) good reproducibility (less than or equal to 4% RSD, n = 11) for absolute migration time, peak area, and peak h eight.