Simultaneous detection of [metal(ii)–tpen]2+ as kinetically inert cationic complexes using pre-capillary derivatizationelectrophoresis: an application to biological samples

A high resolution of doubly charged first row transition (Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn) and heavy metal (Pb, Cd, Hg) ions was achieved in capillary electrophoresis (CE) with high sensitivity (sub-micromol dm−3 level), using NN,N′N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN) as a pre-capillary derivatizing agent. The non-charged reagent, TPEN, was applied to capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) for the first time. Since complete spatial separation between the complexes and the ligand was carried out in a carrier buffer, which was free of TPEN, kinetic inertness of metal complexes was necessary for the detection in this pre-capillary method. All the nine listed metal complexes were detected: Ca2+, Mg2+, Al3+, Fe3+, and Co3+ complexes were undetectable. This, interestingly, suggests that those nine cations form kinetically inert tpen complexes without strong charge–charge interactions between the metal ion and the ligand. It is expected that the hard–soft–acid–base (HSAB) principle governed the kinetics selectivity. With respect to the electrophoretic behavior, the addition of chloride ion and methanol to the carrier significantly improved the resolution. This is due to the formation of ternary complexes or ion aggregates and the solvation effect, respectively. These effects provided a satisfactory baseline resolution among the nine metal ions. An application to biological samples was demonstrated. Some metal ions in human serum and urine were successfully detected in a simple process without the need for deproteinization using a non-coated fused-silica capillary because of the differenciation in the direction of migration between organic matter and complexes.