The MEKC method is described for the quantitative analysis of 17 amino acids (AA) in pharmaceutical products. The method is based on simply derivatizing the AA with (2-naphthoxy)acetyl chloride under mild conditions. The resulting derivatives were separated by MEKC with borate buffer (35 mM; pH 9.50) including 150 mM SDS at the applied voltage of 25 W in an uncoated capillary (effective length, 40 cm) and monitored by UV at 230 nm. The detection limits of the amino acid derivatives were in the range of 3.0-8.0 mu M (S/N = 3, injection 5.0 s, 6 895 Pa). The precision (RSD) and accuracy (relative error) of the method for intra- and interday analyses of the analytes are all below 5.2%. The amino acid derivatives are stable at room temperature for 33 h studied and the molar absorptivity of the alanine derivative (used as a model) is stable over a wide pH range of 3.00-12.00. This is favorable for monitoring the derivatives in various pH by CE or LC. Application of the method to the analysis of multiple AA in a liquid injection formulation proved satisfactory.