Newly developed ionic liquids that are air and moisture stable have been subject to an increasing number of scientific investigations. Their recent applications include novel solvent systems and catalysts for organic synthesis, versatile electrolytes for electrochemical studies, and liquid-liquid extraction solvents. The potential usage of ionic liquids could be vast. The purpose of the first part of this dissertation is to address the novel applications of ionic liquids in the field of analytical chemistry. In this part, the author's research can be divided into two directions: (a) examining the chromatographic performance of ionic liquids as gas chromatography (GC) stationary phases or solvents for GC stationary phases; (b) synthesizing new ionic liquids and testing their properties as matrices for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry.;In addition to multiple applications of ionic liquids, we also became interested in developing an effective instrumental method to assess the viability of microorganisms and mammalian cells. Since existing techniques, such as plate count methods, flow cytometry, etc., are either laborious or too expensive, highly efficient and more affordable methods are needed. Therefore, the second part of this dissertation is focused on the feasibility of using capillary electrophoresis (CE), in combination with fluorescent labeling technique, to determine cell viability. The author first adapted the recently developed highly efficient microbial CE method and viable fluorescence staining method to determine the viability of bacteria and yeast, and then carried out the potency study of animal sperm using a similar CE approach.;This dissertation is presented as two independent parts. Each part begins with a general introduction and literature review of recent progress in the specific research area. The following chapters are arranged in such a way that the related published papers or manuscripts are presented as separate chapters. All these chapters are presented in publication format. References for each chapter are independent and appear at the end of the chapter. The last chapter is general conclusions covering both parts of this dissertation.