Rapid and sensitive determination of anthraquinones in Chinese herb using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-based ionic liquid with beta-cyclodextrin as modifier in capillary zone electrophoresis.

The present study reported the ionic liquid (IL) used as running electrolyte in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) as modifier for the separation of anthraquinones extract of Chinese herb Paedicalyx attopevensis Pierre ex Pitard. The optimum running electrolyte was 60 mM 1-butyl-3-methylimizolium tetrafluoroborate (1B-3MI-TFB) solution with 4.0 mM beta-CD. The pH was 10.00 and the applied voltage was 20 kV with detection at 254 nm. The present method was compared with others and the effect of Joule heating was discussed as well. More significantly, this method is the development of the ionic liquids application to the capillary electrophoresis.