Properties of poly-aminophenylboronate coatings in capillary electrophoresis for the selective separation of diastereoisomers and glycoproteins.

The polymerisation of 3-aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) in aqueous environment has been used for the open tubular modification of capillary electrophoresis (CE) capillaries. Being poly-APBA endowed with boronic acid, aromatic rings and secondary amines groups, it posses a variety of functional groups affecting selectivity. Diastereoisomers (e.g. ascorbic and isoascorbic acid) and proteins (e.g. haemoglobins) were successfully separated onto poly-APBA column, by means of a combination of electrophoresis and open tubular electrochromatography. The mechanism of selection was investigated: results indicate an interplay between enhancing or silencing the contribution of the protonable functionalities (amino groups, boronic acid). The properties of APBA polymer coating make it attractive for CE separation and for further application in affinity separations and chip technologies.