Apparatus for Electrophoretic Separations in Short Capillaries

Abstract

A specialized electrophoretic apparatus in H-configuration has been designed for separations in short capillaries with lengths of a few cm. The sample injection and the capillary rinsing are designed so that the capillary position is unchanged. The sample injector consists of an electronically-controlled six-way injection valve, a piezoelectric micropump and a delivery tube in which the separation capillary inlet is fixed. The sample is injec­ted without interrupting the separation voltage. The capillary rinsing is provided by a membrane pump genera­ting vacuum in the end vial. The apparatus is equipped with a contactless conductometric detector. All the operations and data acquisition are computer-controlled.