Abstract:
The challenge of efficiently processing the often varied volumetric flow rate of CE effluent can be met by using a bevelled electrosprayer tip, and the problem of often incompatible requirement of electrolyte composition for the optimum operations of CE and electrospray ionization can be alleviated by introducing a chemical modifier using the junction-at-the-tip configuration. A simple and robust stainless steel hollow needle electrode with a tapered inner cavity and a bevelled outer tip is used to interface CE with MS, resulting in a stable yet highly sensitive electrospray ion source that is easily automated in CE-MS operations. This interface can be used in commercially available automated CE systems, and completely automation can be achieved without human interventions, once the auto samplers and loaded and routine sequences are programmed. The interface and its applications for different types of analyte, including small molecule pharmaceuticals and biomolecules, will be discussed.