Simultaneous analysis of selenate and selenite in bacterial suspensions by capillary electrophoresis

Abstract The use of capillary electrophoresis allows simultaneous determination of selenate and selenite during reduction by whole bacteria or their lysates. Optimal separation was achieved with 20 m M sodium borate and 1.0 m M tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide, pH 9.5, −25 kV, at 28°C in an open, uncoated 44 cm×75 μ m silica column. This method eliminates many steps in sample preparation and reduces necessary sample size. Application of this CE method in studying the depletion of both selenate and selenite in bacterial suspensions is reported.