1. General principle and transport phenomena

1.1 Principle

Capillary electrophoresis is a technique in which compounds are analyzed within a capillary of small internal diameter (a few tens of micrometers) and a length of the order of a few tens of centimeters, filled with a separating electrolyte. The two ends of the capillary dip into two different reservoir bottles, each containing two electrodes connected to a high-voltage generator, as shown schematically in figure 1 . Applying a voltage of up to several tens of kV to the ends of the capillary generates a longitudinal electric field within the capillary, which sets the analytes in motion at their own speed. A continuous detection step is performed, usually...