Eigenmobilities in background electrolytes for capillary zone electrophoresis: III. Linear theory of electromigration.

Abstract

A mathematical model of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) based on the conception of eigenmobilities, which are the eigenvalues of a matrix M tied to the linearized governing equations is presented. The model considers CZE systems, where constituents, either analytes or components of the background electrolyte (BGE), are weak electrolytes--acids, bases, or ampholytes. There is no restriction on the number of components nor on the valence of the constituents nor on pH of the BGE. An electrophoretic system with N constituents has N eigenmobilities. In most BGEs one or two eigenmobilities are very close to zero so their corresponding eigenzones move very slowly. However, there are BGEs where no eigenmobility is close to zero. The mathematical model further provides: the transfer ratio, the molar conductivity detection response, and the relative velocity slope. This allows the assessment of the indirect detection, conductivity detection and peak broadening (distortion) due to electromigration dispersion. Also, we present a spectral decomposition of the matrix M to matrices allowing the assessment of the amplitudes of system eigenpeaks (system peaks). Our model predicted the existence of BGEs having no stationary injection zone (or water zone, gap, peak, dip). A common practice of using the injection zone as a marker of the electroosmotic flow must fail in such electrolytes.