Separation and determination of phenolic compounds by capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection

Phenolic compounds were analyzed by means of capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection. Peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence reagent was used together with dansyl chloride as a labeling reagent. The reagent concentrations, the labeling procedures, and the performance of chemiluminescence detection cells were examined for sensitive detection of phenolic compounds. Six kinds of phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-chlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,6-dichlorophenol, and 2,4,6-trichlorophenol) were determined over a range of three orders of magnitude with detection limits of the order of 10−7 M; their detection limits were ca. 10 times as low as those obtained by an ordinary fluorescence detector. A running buffer solution containing sodium dodecylsulfate and acetonitrile provided satisfactory results in the separation of 15 kinds of phenolic compounds. The combination of capillary electrophoresis with chemiluminescence detection and column concentration procedure supported the possibility that the present system could be applied to real samples such as surface and reused waters.