Capillary electrophoretic application of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-basedionic liquids

Ionic substances with melting points at or close to room temperature are re ferred to as ionic liquids. Interest in ionic liquids for their potential i n different chemical processes is increasing, because they are environmenta lly benign and are good solvents for a wide range of both organic and inorg anic materials. In this study, a capillary electrophoretic method for resol ving phenolic compounds found in grape seed extracts is reported. The metho d, Mi which 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquids are used as the running electrolytes, is simple and reproducible. The separation mechanism seems to involve association between the imidazolium cations and the polyp henols. The role of the alkyl substituents on the imidazolium cations was i nvestigated and will be discussed.