In the early 1980s capillary liquid chromatography was being established; it was a period in which only a few research groups published a relatively small number of papers on the subject. In- terest has since taken off, and a period of intense development, to which no end is yet in sight, is now upon us. More investiga- tors and instrument-making firms are now entering the field. This greater interest has resulted in the rapid appearance of two collec- tions 1, 2] and a series of topical reviews 3-6]. However, it could hardly be said that all the problems in this area have been formulated,...