Capillary Electrophoresis in Polymer Analysis

Capillary electrophoresis has demonstrated its enormous potential for the separation of biopolymers for several years. For the separation of proteins and carbohydrates, and to an even larger extent in DNA sequencing, new buffer systems and capillary coatings as well as derivatization agents have been developed. Recently, synthetic water-soluble polymers, for example, polyethylene glycols, or polyelectrolytes, such as polystyrenesulfonic acid or polyvinylypyridinium hydrochloride, have been successfully separated. This article introduces the principles of capillary electrophoresis, capillary gel electrophoresis, as well as giving an overview of the recent literature. Finally, it provides a strategy as to how to optimize an individual separation system.