Ionic liquids in capillary electrophoresis for enantioseparation

Ionic liquids (ILs) have received considerable attention in the separation science community due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Several excellent review articles on the application of ILs in analytical chemistry have been published. Rather than provide another comprehensive overview, this review focuses on the development and state-of-the-art of ILs in capillary electrophoresis (CE) for enantioseparation. The contents are divided into six sections according to the application modes of ILs, including achiral ILs modified conventional chiral separation system, chiral ILs synergistic separation system, chiral ILs ligand-exchange CE (LE-CE) system, ILs in micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), the development of novel ILs chiral selectors, and some other applications. The critical research questions and solutions of each application modes are systematically summarized. Existing problems and future prospects are also discussed.