Using capillary electrophoresis to separate trivalent f-elements based on their speciation when complexed with simple organic ligands

Abstract

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a useful method for rapid separations of metal cations. Under ideal conditions, CE can provide complete separation of the trivalent lanthanides in less than 10 min. Simple organic ligands must be included in the electrolyte matrix to achieve good resolution between the cations. In this paper, we demonstrate how to use complexation constants from the literature to design separation protocols for the trivalent f-elements.