title: Capillary-electrode alignment by an optical-fiber connector for amperometric detection in capillary electrophoresis.
abstract: We describe here an electrochemical cell ideal for routine analysis of CE-EC experiments (capillary electrophoresis coupled with electrochemical detection). The cell was modified from a fiber-optic connector, named MT, which allowed frequent change and fast alignment between a pair of 4-strand fiber ribbons. The relative standard deviations of the current response and migration time for 100 microM dopamine were, respectively, 3.7 and 0.5% in five repetitive routines of disconnecting, polishing, and assembling the CE cell. The time required for alignment of the separation capillary and the working electrode was < 10 s, once all components were assembled in an MT fiber-optic plug. These features enabled CE-EC users to polish the working electrode and reassemble the EC cell as in HPLC-EC. However, to accommodate the channel dimensions of the commercially available MT, a special order capillary with outer diameter of 125 microm is necessary at this stage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chun-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Kun-Chien
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shou-Shu
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Der-chang
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chiu-Mei
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chun-hsien
mesh_terms: D002395:Catecholamines / Q000032:analysis; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004566:Electrodes; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology; D055100:Optical Fibers
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines