Capillary electrophoresis of methyl-substituted phenols in acetonitrile

The separation of mono- and dimethylphenols by capillary electrophoresis in pure acetonitrile was investigated. In acetonitrile, uncharged phenols interact with background electrolyte anions forming negatively charged complexes, which can be separated from each other by capillary electrophoresis. The background electrolyte anions tested were acetate, bromide and chloride. The calculated formation constants for phenol–anion complexes were highest with acetate and smallest with bromide. Complex formation was found to be sensitive to traces of water in the background electrolyte. The separation of methylphenols was also carried out in acetonitrile at high pH using background electrolytes prepared from diprotic acids and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide. At high pH the phenols were partly dissociated, providing an additional mechanism for the separation. All methylphenols were separated with the use of malonate background electrolyte. However, this approach was prone to interference from methanol resulting from the tetrabutylammonium hydroxide solution.