Comparative analysis of an antibacterial compound by capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, a long accepted technique, was compared to Capillary Electrophoresis, a technique that even now is not fully explored. Phenol, a UV-active antibacterial substance, was examined in the form of a common disinfectant spray, Sporicidin$\rm\sp{TM}.$ Five different forms of this product were examined. A Waters HPLC system, utilizing an Applied Biosystems Instrument UV detector, was used for the first half of this study. A Beckman P/ACE 5500 Capillary Electrophoresis array, controlled by an IBM PC, was used in the second half of the study. Once the analyses were completed for each machine, comparisons were made in terms of accuracy (in terms of the Sporicidin$\rm\sp{TM}$ phenol content), reproducability, and limits of detection. The Capillary Electrophoresis instrument was found to be greatly superior in almost all aspects.