A preliminary study for the fast prototyping of simple electroplanar separation systems based on various natural polymers and planar chromatographic stationary phases

This experimental work deals with preliminary studies concerning combined planar electrophoresis–electrochromatography system involving stationary phases composed of various natural materials applied for the separation of selected colorants. The main goal of the presented experiment is to investigate the key parameters (applied voltage, electrolyte composition, pH) and separation protocol setup (stationary phase/connection strips type and geometry) enabling the fast prototyping of simple analytical systems for the fractionation and/or separation of low-molecular mass compounds. Four water-based electrolytes that are as simple as possible (without additional organic liquid components or modifiers), including boric acid 100 mM (pH = 4.3), 1:1 mixture of boric acid 90 mM and Tris base 90 mM (pH = 8.2), boric acid 100 mM titrated with NaOH 1 m (pH = 8.5), and formic acid 100 mM (pH = 2.4), were tested. As target analytes, two colorants, namely, methyl red and ponceau 4R, were selected. These dyes are commonly...