Development and validation of a capillary electrophoresis method for the measurement of short-chain organic acids in natural rubber latex

Short-chain organic acid contents in serum of natural latex are interesting to measure and capillary electrophoresis (CE) has proved to be a good tool for their study. In the present work a method has been developed to identi fy the short-chain organic acids present in sera of natural rubber latex (o xalic, formic, fumaric, aconitic, succinic, malic, glutaric, citric, acetic , glycollic, propionic and quinic acids), the separation was optimised and the quantification method validated. The separation was performed on a CE s ystem with UV detection at 200 nm. The separation was carried out with an u ncoated fused-silica capillary (57 cmX50 mu m I.D.) and was operated at -10 kV potential. The separation buffers were prepared with 0.5 M H3PO4, 0.5 m M cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and pH adjusted by adding NaOH to 6.25 exc ept for propionic acid which was better measured at pH 7.00. Validation par ameters are adequate and limits of detection range from 0.005 mM to 1.6 mM. Short-chain organic acids were measured with this method in sera of three different types of latex. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved .