Determination of C4–C14 carboxylic acids by capillary zone electrophoresis: Application to the identification of diamide degradation products and partitioning studies

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was investigated for the determination of linear saturated carboxylic acid homologues ranging from C4 to C14. Separation conditions were optimised to overcome the problems of decreasing solubility and decreasing selectivity between successive homologues with increasing chain length. Separations were performed at 20°C, using a 20 kV separation voltage and a pH 8 electrolyte containing 30% methanol. A suitable chromophore (4-aminobenzoate) was added to ensure indirect UV detection of the analytes. Calibration curves and repeatability were established. Minimum detectable concentrations of 3·10−6 mol l−1 were achieved. Resolution between successive homologues was better than 2. The electrophoretic mobility of each homologue (n=7–14) was assessed and a quasi-linear relationship between the mobility value and 1/n was observed. The quantitative analysis of a diamide degradation solution was performed and compared to potentiometric results. The CZE method was also applied to the determination of C7–C14 partitioning between an organic medium containing tributylphosphate in n-dodecane and different basic solutions. Their behaviour was established according to the chain length and the pH of the aqueous phase. For C10–C14 compounds, results were validated by comparison with gas chromatographic analysis of the organic phases.