CHEMILUMINESCENT DETECTION OF AMINES AND AMINO-ACIDS USING IN-SITU GENERATED RU(BPY)(3)(3-ELECTROPHORESIS() FOLLOWING SEPARATION BY CAPILLARY)

A new sensitive chemiluminescent detection method for capillary electr ophoresis is described. Underivatized amines and amino acids were dete cted following capillary electrophoresis separation by their chemilumi nescent reaction with Ru(bpy)(3)(3+) generated in situ at 35 mu m carb on fibers. Detection limits for triethylamine and proline were 5 and 3 fmol, respectively at a SNR of three. The noise limiting the detectab ility of separated analytes was determined to exist at the level of th e dark noise limit of the PMT used for these studies and additional no ise reduction strategies are expected to improve the quantitative aspe cts of the method. Theoretical plate numbers for proline were approxim ately 20000. End column addition of Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) coupled with in sit u generation of Ru(bpy)(3)(3+), has been shown to be compatible with t he nanoliter elution volumes characteristic of capillary electrophores is. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.