Influence of pH on electrophoretic behavior of phenothiazines and determination of pKa values by capillary zone electrophoresis

The influence of buffer pH on the electrophoretic behavior of 13 structurally related phenothiazines and determination of pK(a) values by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) were investigated. The results indicate that phenothiazines with a piperazine substituent behave quite differently from those with substituents having an aliphatic side chain or a piperidine moiety over the pH range studied. To separate these phenothiazines, it is preferable to select buffer pH in the range of 2.5-3.5. The pK(a) values of phenothiazines with three different types of substituents attached at the 10-position of the phenothiazine ring were determined. The determination of pK(a) values of phenothiazines allows us to rationalize the influence of buffer pH on the migration behavior of these compounds in CZE.