Field-portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with potentiometric and amperometric detection Original Research Article

A portable capillary electrophoresis instrument which incorporates both potentiometric and amperometric detection in a single unit is presented. It includes lead acid batteries as independent power source, a 30 kV high voltage power supply and the detection electronics. With a size of 340 mm×175 mm×175 mm and a weight of 7.5 kg it can easily be carried by one person. Possible applications of the instrument are illustrated with the potentiometric detection of alkali and alkaline earth metal cations with coated-wire ion-selective electrodes and the amperometric detection of electroactive anions with gold electrodes. It is further demonstrated that amino acids may be determined with copper electrodes used in either the potentiometric or the amperometric mode.