Electrokinetic Chromatography

Electrokinetic Chromatography represents an analytical separation technique combining principles of electrophoresis and chromatography, employing capillaries filled with micellar or microemulsion systems providing pseudostationary phases that interact differentially with analytes as they migrate under applied electric fields. This versatile method enables separation of both charged and neutral compounds in single analyses.

The pharmaceutical industry employs electrokinetic chromatography for specialised analytical applications including chiral separations, purity analysis of small molecules and peptides, and quality control assessments where conventional chromatography proves challenging. Micellar electrokinetic chromatography creates dynamic pseudostationary phases enabling neutral compound separation. Chiral separations employ cyclodextrins or chiral surfactants enabling enantiomer resolution critical for pharmaceutical development. Applications include impurity profiling, stability-indicating methods, and dissolution testing. As pharmaceutical development addresses increasingly complex molecules, electrokinetic chromatography continues serving specialised roles complementing traditional chromatographic techniques.