Separation of very hydrophobic analytes by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. I. Optimization of the composition of the sample solution for the determination of the aromatic ingredients of sassafras and other essential oils of forensic interest.

A micellar electrokinetic chromatographic method using UV and (UV)LIF detection in-line was developed for the determination of aromatic constituents, mainly allylbenzenes in essential oils. The method optimization included the optimization of the composition of the separation electrolyte using ACN and urea to reduce retention factors and CaCl(2) to widen the migration time window. In addition, it was necessary to optimize the composition of the sample solution which included the addition of a neutral surfactant at high concentration. With the optimized method, the determination of minor constituents in essential oils was possible despite of the presence of a structurally related compound being in a molar ratio excess of 1000:1. The use of UV and LIF-detection in-line enabled the direct comparison of the two detection traces using an electrophoretic mobility x-axis instead of the normal time-based scale. This simplifies the assignment of signals and enhances repeatability. The method developed was successfully applied to the determination of minor and major constituents in herbal essential oils, some of them being forensically relevant as sources of precursors for synthetic drugs.