Analysis of Simple Carbohydrates by Capillary Electrophoresis and Capillary Electrophoresis–Mass Spectrometry

An overview of the application of capillary electrophoresis and ­capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry in the analysis of simple carbohydrates without any previous derivatization step is given. Besides electrolyte systems for ­carbohydrate separation, detection techniques employed in capillary electrophoresis, such as ­spectrophotometric detection, electrochemical detection, and mass spectrometric ­detection, are discussed, as are less common detection techniques. Thus, the chapter focuses on the assessment of the strong and weak points of these ­detection ­techniques for carbohydrate analysis. A table included in this chapter gives a ­comprehensive listing of capillary electrophoresis and capillary ­electrophoresis–mass spectrometry ­applications in the fields of carbohydrate analysis published within the last decade.