Separation of phenols as neutral compounds by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Separation of phenols as neutral solutes by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography provides a quantitative linear dynamic range of 6000–13 000. Since the compounds are injected and separated as neutral solutes, the dispersive processes of anti-stacking and electrodispersion are eliminated. Optimized conditions allow for sub-ppm quantitation of trace impurities in the presence of the major components at various stages of the production of high purity phenols. The background electrolyte consists of 100 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate in 50 mM phosphate buffer pH 7. The method is precise, reliable, and the limits of detection are superior compared to HPLC by a factor of 20.