A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for the separation and determination of salbutamol (SAL) in commercial pharmaceuticals was developed. Several parameters affecting the separations were studied including type and concentration of the carrier ion, counter ion, and the pH of the buffer. A hydrodynamically closed CE separation mode employing a 300 mum I.D. capillary, dynamically coated by polymeric buffer additive, provided good performance parameters (precision, accuracy, sensitivity). The obtained results suggest that the proposed method is suitable for routine assay of SAL in pharmaceutical preparations and can be used as an alternative to the conventional open CE mode for this application.