Developments in and applications of capillary electrophoresis inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

This project has set out to design and optimise a robust and efficient interface for capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) and to investigate the application of the technique in elemental speciation studies. An interface was constructed using a commercial microconcentric nebuliser (MCN) and a cyclonic spray chamber. The cyclonic spray chamber was designed specifically to provide rapid sample response and washout and to minimise sample dispersion. Isoforms of the heavy metal binding protein, metallothionein, were separated and the bound metals detected to characterise the interface. Suction from the self-aspirating nebuliser was identified as the principal factor controlling electrophoretic resolution. To maintain resolution, two methods for counterbalancing the nebuliser suction were investigated. In the first method an optimised make-up flow was employed, and in the second a negative pressure was applied to the buffer vial during the separation. The negative pressure method was preferred because it did not significantly compromise sensitivity. The MCN was found to be prone to regular blocking which compromised the analytical precision of the system. A second interface was constructed using a glass MicroMist nebuliser. The MicroMist nebuliser was found to be less prone to blocking than the MCN and significantly improved the precision of the system to less than 4.3% RSD. The MicroMist nebuliser did, however, provide a lower sensitivity. The advantage of employing an electroosmotic flow marker to correct for migration time drifts was demonstrated. A CE-ICP-MS method was developed for the speciation of selenium in selenium enriched yeasts and nutritional supplements. Selenoamino acids and inorganic selenium species were separated, as anions, under strong electroosmotic flow conditions. Methods to enhance the selenium sensitivity were investigated. A proteolytic enzyme extraction method was employed and the effect of the mass of enzyme and extraction temperature on the extraction efficiency was investigated. The chemical form of selenium present in the samples varied; inorganic selenate was identified as the chemical form of selenium in two of the samples, and for one sample selenomethionine was the predominant form of selenium. For one selenium enriched yeast sample, a matrix effect hindered the speciation. Selenium speciation in the selenium enriched yeasts and nutritional supplements was also undertaken using anion exchange HPLC-ICP-MS to allow a comparison of the two speciation techniques. (author)