MEKC, or Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography, is a separation technique employed in analytical chemistry. It is a combination of both capillary electrophoresis and liquid chromatography, utilizing micellar electrokinetic chromatography principles for the separation of analytes.
In MEKC, an analyte mixture is placed in a buffer solution containing a surfactant, usually sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). This surfactant forms micelles, which act as pseudostationary phases. These micelles interact with the analytes based on their hydrophobicity, forming transient micelle-analyte complexes. The analytes are then separated based on their differential interactions with these micelles, as well as their charge and size.
MEKC is performed in a fused-silica capillary column, where an electric field is applied. The analytes migrate through the capillary due to the electroosmotic flow, influenced by the micelles. The separation is achieved by tuning the composition of the buffer solution, optimizing the surfactant concentration, pH, and other parameters to obtain the desired selectivity.
MEKC is widely used in various fields, including pharmaceutical analysis, environmental analysis, forensics, and food and beverage industries. It has proven to be an effective method for the separation and quantification of a wide range of compounds, including charged, neutral, and polar analytes. Its high separation efficiency, simplicity, and versatility make it a valuable tool in analytical laboratories for the analysis of complex mixtures.
