Analysis By Migration In The Presence Of Chemical Reaction

A mathematical framework which will allow quantitative analysis techniques using molecule migration rate differences to be used even in the presence of non-negligible chemical reactions amongst the species is presented.

Abstract

In many quantitative analytical techniques (such as electrophoresis, ultracentrifugation, countercurrent distribution, column or paper chromatography, various distillation techniques etc.) a mixture of several species of molecules is analyzed by subjecting it to conditions under which the several species migrate at different rates. In situations where chemical reactions may occur among the several species and where the extents of the reactions are non-negligible these techniques fail in the sense that the usual methods for numerically determining the quantities of the various species are not applicable. In such situations the analytical system is ordinarily modified so that no non-negligible reactions occur. However, in some cases a modification of this kind may be either impossible or inconvenient. This paper will present a mathematical framework which under certain circumstances will allow a quantitative analysis, even in the presence of non-negligible chemical reactions amongst the species.