Computational fluid dynamics simulation of the adsorption separation of three components in high performance liquid chromatography

Summary The four stereoisomers of nadolol were successfully separated into three groups (SRS)-nadolol and (SSR)-nadolol, (RRS)-nadolol and (RSR)-nadolol using HPLC. The adsorption equilibrium coefficients, mass transfer coefficients of the three groups and the bed voidage were experimentally determined. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the separation was carried out using FEMLAB, which is application software from MATLAB. The simulation visualized the processes of dispersion and separation occurring inside the column. The curvature of the concentration profiles within the column were observed using the simulation. The simulated chromatogram correctly predicted the peak behavior of the eluted compounds except dispersion was overestimated, which is due to the limitation of the software used.     

Chiral separation of beta-blocker drug nadolol by HPLC--a kinetic and equilibrium study

A Chiralpak AD-H column packed with amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) coated on silica gel was used to study the enantioseparation of nadolol by HPLC. The bed voidage, axial dispersion coefficient, overall mass transfer coefficients as well as equilibrium constants for the chromatographic enantiomeric separation were evaluated by moment analysis on the basis of the solid film linear driving force model. The equilibrium constants were found to be 3.81, 5.24, 9.45 and 19.41 for the stereoisomers (SRS)-, (SRR)-, (RSS)- and (RSR)-nadolol, respectively. Their overall mass transfer coefficients were found to be 1841.8, 1254.8, 799.4 and 401.7 min(-1) respectively. Temperature effect on the enantiomeric separation and thermodynamic properties including enthalpy and entropy change of binding to the amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) stationary phase were also investigated. The moment analysis and the parameters obtained were used to simulate nadolol elution profiles. The simulated results matched the experimental profiles well, which confirmed the validity of model parameters obtained in this study.     

Optimization of simulated moving bed plants with low efficient stationary phases: separation of fructose and glucose

An optimization procedure for simulated moving bed (SMB) plants with low efficient stationary phases is presented. The new aspect is that the desorbent consumption can be cut by 70% by running the plant with lower internal liquid flows and a corresponding larger switch time while the productivity is kept constant. This concept was validated by the separation of fructose and glucose in water on a calcium resin with an eight-column SMB plant. The separation can be predicted well by a true moving bed (TMB) and a simulated moving bed simulation. Adsorption isotherms were determined up to 300 kg/m3 for glucose and 500 kg/m3 for fructose from 25 to 80 degrees C. Experimental SMB runs were performed over a wide range of feed concentrations (10-350 kg/m3) and temperatures (25-80 degrees C). The strong influence of the delay volume is pointed out. For an experimental run with high feed concentration a complete set of data is presented. To reduce biological growth separation at 80 degrees C is recommended.     

Separation of D‐psicose and D‐fructose using simulated moving bed chromatography

Simulated moving bed (SMB) processes have been widely used in the sugar industries with ion‐exchange resin as a stationary phase. D ‐Psicose, a rare monosaccharide known as a valuable pharmaceutical substrate, was synthesized by the enzymatic conversion from D ‐fructose. The SMB process was adopted to separate D ‐psicose from D ‐fructose. Before the SMB experiment, the reaction mixture including D ‐psicose and D ‐fructose was treated by a deashing process to remove contaminants, such as buffers, proteins, and other organic materials. Four columns packed with Dowex 50WX4‐Ca²⁺ (200–400 mesh) ion‐exchange resins were used in the four‐zone SMB. Single‐step frontal analysis was performed to estimate the isotherm parameters of each monosaccharide. The operating conditions of the SMB process were determined based on the Equilibrium Theory. According to the simulation of the SMB process, the purity and yield of extract product (D ‐psicose) achieved were 99.04 and 97.46%, respectively and those of raffinate product (D ‐fructose) were 99.06 and 99.53%, respectively. Under the optimized operating condition, complete separation (extract purity = 99.36%, raffinate purity = 99.67%) was achieved experimentally.     

Model-based design of a pilot-scale simulated moving bed for purification of citric acid from fermentation broth

One of the conventional processes used for the recovery of citric acid from its fermentation broth is environmentally harmful and cost intensive. In this work an innovative benign process, which comprises simulated moving bed (SMB) technology and use of a tailor-made tertiary poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) resin as a stationary phase is proposed. This paper focuses on a model-based design of the operation conditions for an existing pilot-scale SMB plant. The SMB unit is modeled on the basis of experimentally determined hydrodynamics, thermodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in a single chromatographic column. Three mathematical models are applied and validated for the prediction of the experimentally attained breakthrough and elution profiles of citric acid and the main impurity component (glucose). The transport dispersive model was selected for the SMB simulation and design studies, since it gives a satisfactory prediction of the elution profiles within acceptable computational time. The equivalent true moving bed (TMB) and SMB models give a good prediction of the experimentally attained SMB separation performances, obtained with a real clarified and concentrated fermentation broth as a feed mixture. The SMB separation requirements are set to at least 99.8% citric acid purity and 90% citric acid recovery in the extract stream. The complete regeneration in sections 1 and 4 is unnecessary. Therefore the net flow rates in all four SMB sections have been considered in the unit design. The influences of the operating conditions (the flow rate in each section, switching time and unit configuration) on the SMB performances were investigated systematically. The resulting SMB design provides 99.8% citric acid purity and 97.2% citric acid recovery in the extract. In addition the citric acid concentration in the extract is a half of its concentration in the pretreated fermentation broth (feed).     

Optimizing the separation of gaseous enantiomers by simulated moving bed and pressure swing adsorption

The resolution of racemic gas mixtures by simulated moving bed (SMB) and pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is investigated by dynamic simulation and optimization. Enantiomer separation of inhalation anesthetics is important because there is evidence that the purified enantiomers may have different pharmacological properties than the racemate. The model parameters reported in an experimental investigation performed elsewhere are used to study the feasibility of this separation using SMB and PSA configurations. Both processes were modeled in gPROMS^® as systems of differential algebraic equations. Operating conditions are optimized such that the feed throughput and product recovery for each process were maximized subject to equal constraints on the pressures and superficial gas velocities. SMB was found to be capable of resolving racemic feed mixtures with purity and recovery exceeding 99%. On the other hand, PSA was also able to provide a single purified enantiomer with low recovery of about 30% which may limit its application to enantiomer separation. Nevertheless, PSA consumes less desorbent, and achieves higher throughput at the sacrifice of lower recovery.     

Coupling of simulated moving bed chromatography and fractional crystallisation for efficient enantioseparation

An optimised coupling of liquid chromatography and fractional crystallisation is suggested for efficient enantioseparation. As a first stage, a chromatographic separation, preferably simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography, is applied to achieve an enantiomeric enrichment sufficient for a subsequent crystallisation. First results of the experimental and modelling work for the model system (+)-/(-)-mandelic acid in an aqueous solution are described. Chromatographic investigations involve the estimation of adsorption isotherms on a suitable chiral stationary phase and the simulation and optimisation of a corresponding SMB process. From the ternary phase diagram measured for the (+)-/(-)-enantiomer/ solvent system, the conditions required to crystallise a pure enantiomer from an asymmetric mixture can be derived. The productivity gains achievable from the combined process compared to the application of chromatography alone are discussed.     

A highly efficient way to recycle inactive stereoisomers of Bedaquiline into two previous intermediates via base-catalyzed C_(sp3)–C_(sp3) bond cleavage

Bedaquiline is a new medicine for pulmonary multi-drug resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB), which is a pure enantiomer with two chiral centers. The current industrial preparation process requires the separation of active Bedaquiline from a mixture of four isomers. Obviously, direct dispose of the other three undesired stereoisomers will cause significant waste and increase the unnecessary cost of production. Here, we developed an efficient, facile and scalable process for recycling the inactive stereoisomers of Bedaquiline. All these inactive stereoisomers could be recycled by their conversion to two important intermediates in the Bedaquiline synthesis via a base-catalyzed Csp3–Csp3 bond cleavage of a benzyl alcohol intermediate. And the precise conditions and mechanism of the base-catalyzed cleavage reaction were discussed.     

Design of simulated moving bed and Varicol processes for preparative separations with a low number of columns

Simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography has received significant attention in the last decade, particularly as regards the production of very valuable products, such as enantiomerically pure pharmaceutical compounds. Recent applications in the pharmaceutical industry use SMB systems containing a low total number chromatographic columns, usually four to eight. This paper deals with the modeling and simulation of SMB systems with only four, five and six columns. In particular, two modeling strategies, the equivalent true moving bed and the real SMB models, are compared for these units in terms of separation regions and system productivity. Also, the recently proposed Varicol process is analyzed and compared with the classical SMB operation, and the advantages of this new operation mode are shown for systems using a low number of columns.     

Separation of stereoisomers in a simulated moving bed-supercritical fluid chromatography plant

The combination of two techniques, simulated moving bed (SMB) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), leads to an apparatus with unique features. Besides the known advantages of the SMB process, like reduced solvent consumption and its continuity, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as the mobile phase offers an easy product recovery by depressurizing the supercritical fluid. Details of a SMB-SFC plant are presented for the first time. Due to the large number of process parameters a simulation of the SMB process is necessary to achieve optimal operating conditions. The most important thermodynamic information for a SMB process is the adsorption isotherms. Therefore, isotherms for two phytol isomers are measured and correlated. A fast dynamic model for the simulation of SMB is used to calculate the region of complete separation taking different column configurations and the compressibility of the mobile phase into account.     

模拟移动床色谱法拆分甲霜灵对映体

模拟移动床(SMB)色谱作为一种精确、高效的制备色谱技术引起研究者的极大关注。本文以EnantioPak OD填料为手性固定相,正己烷-乙醇(70 : 30, v/v)为流动相,在四区模拟移动床上手性拆分甲霜灵外消旋体。采用旋光检测器研究甲霜灵异构体在手性柱上的洗脱顺序;探讨进样浓度、进样流速、各区流速和切换时间等条件对手性分离甲霜灵外消旋体的影响,并与制备色谱进行比较。结果表明:S-(+)-甲霜灵先于R-(-)-甲霜灵被流动相洗脱,R-(-)-甲霜灵在色谱柱上的保留强于S-(+)-甲霜灵;在线性和非线性条件下,模拟移动床都能很好地拆分甲霜灵外消旋体,在优化SMB工艺条件下,S-(+)-甲霜灵和R-(-)-甲霜灵的光学纯度都大于99%;在样品质量浓度为15 mg/mL的条件下,模拟移动床色谱分离的样品量显著高于制备色谱,而流动相消耗仅为后者的1/9。这对于发展大规模色谱拆分甲霜灵工艺具有良好的指导意义。     

High‐performance liquid chromatographic separations of stereoisomers of chiral basic agrochemicals with polysaccharide‐based chiral columns and polar organic mobile phases

The separation of the stereoisomers of 23 chiral basic agrochemicals was studied on six different polysaccharide‐based chiral columns in high‐performance liquid chromatography with various polar organic mobile phases. Along with the successful separation of analyte stereoisomers, emphasis was placed on the effect of the chiral selector and mobile phase composition on the elution order of stereoisomers. The interesting phenomenon of reversal of enantiomer/stereoisomer elution order function of the polysaccharide backbone (cellulose or amylose), type of derivative (carbamate or benzoate), nature, and position of the substituent(s) in the phenylcarbamate moiety (methyl or chloro) and the nature of the mobile phase was observed. For several of the analytes containing two chiral centers all four stereoisomers were resolved with at least one chiral selector/mobile phase combination.     

Enantiomers separation by simulated moving bed chromatography. Non-instantaneous equilibrium at the solid-fluid interface

The simulated moving bed (SMB) technology, first conceived for large bulk-scale separations in the petrochemical industry, has found increasingly new applications in the pharmaceutical industry. Among these, the separation of fine chemicals has been the subject of considerable study and research. This work presents the modeling, simulation and design of the operation of a SMB plant in order to separate a binary chiral mixture. The usual assumption of instantaneous equilibrium at the solid-fluid interface is questioned and a first-order kinetics of adsorption is taken into account. The cases of linear, Langmuir and modified Langmuir equilibria are studied. The equivalent true moving bed (TMB) model was used assuming axial dispersion for the fluid flow and plug flow for the solid-phase flow. Intraparticle diffusion was described by a linear driving force (LDF) approximation. Simulation results indicate that, under certain conditions, equilibrium is not actually reached at the adsorbent surface. This leads to different unit performances, in terms of product purities and recoveries, as compared to those predicted assuming instantaneous equilibrium. Moreover, SMB units may be improperly designed by the usual methods (flow-rate ratio separation regions) if non-equilibrium effects are overlooked.     

Assignment of absolute configurations of permethrin and its synthon 3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid by electronic circular dichroism,optical rotation,and X-ray crystallography

The availability of single stereoisomers of biologically/toxicologically relevant chiral compounds such as the pyrethroid-type insecticide permethrin (PM) and the reliable determination of their absolute configurations are of central importance for the detailed investigation and correct assignment of stereoselective effects. In this context, single stereoisomers of 3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid (DCCA), a precursor, metabolite, and environmental degradation product of PM, were isolated from a mixture of all four stereoisomers in enantiomeric excesses of >99% via a two-step chromatographic process combining a diastereoselective reversed-phase separation in the first step with a direct enantiomer separation in the second step. Esterification of DCCA stereoisomers with 3-phenoxybenzyl alcohol yielded PM. Electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of DCCA and PM stereoisomers were measured in non-polar (cyclohexane containing 5% v/v 1,2-dichloroethane) and non-protic polar (acetonitrile) solvents. Cotton effects suitable to distinguish the four stereoisomers of each DCCA and PM were obtained. Absolute configurations of DCCA were determined by confrontation of calculated (time-dependent density-functional theory using B3LYP hybrid functional) and experimental ECD and optical rotation (OR) data. Fully convergent results between ECD and X-ray diffractometry (analysis of DCCA isomers co-crystallized with O-9-(2,6-diisopropylphenylcarbamoyl)quinine), which was employed as a reference method, were obtained. The importance of considering dimer formation of DCCA in solution for the computational delineation of absolute configurations was demonstrated by (1R,3R)-cis-DCCA for which the ΔG Boltzmann averaged calculated monomeric form delivered the opposite sign of OR compared to the dimeric form and the value determined experimentally in dichloromethane. For (1S,3R)-trans-DCCA both monomer and dimer delivered the identical sign of OR and this was in agreement with the experimental measurement. In contrast to OR, the calculated ECD spectra of these two DCCA stereoisomers were less sensitive toward intermolecular association.     

Optimization of simulated moving bed and Varicol processes

A new continuous chromatographic process (Varicol) has been presented recently. Its basic principle consists, in contrast to the traditional simulated moving bed (SMB) technology, of an asynchronous shift of the inlet/outlet lines in a multi-column system with a recycle loop. Due to the stronger influence of the discrete dynamics on the plant behavior, the design of a Varicol process requires the use of model-based optimization to take advantage of the very high flexibility of this process. The equilibrium theory which has been successfully applied to SMB by many practitioners fails to predict the region of complete separation accurately. In this paper, we present a rigorous model-based optimization framework, which can handle the SMB and the novel Varicol process in a systematic manner. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated by the separation of a mixture of propranolol isomers which exhibits a highly non-linear multi-component adsorption behavior. Experimental results are presented and discussed.     

苯并芘DNA加合物anti-BPDE-N^2-dG四种立体异构体的合成及色谱分离

体外合成了苯并芘DNA加合物-邻二醇环氧苯并芘-脱氧鸟苷加合物(anti-BPDE-N2-dG)四种立体异构体(两对手性异构体)。通过优化体外反应条件,anti-BPDE-N2-dG四种异构体的合成产量较现有合成方法提高了2倍多,为定量检测生物体中anti-BPDE-N2-dG提供了标准品。并首次将五氟苯基色谱柱应用于该立体异构体的色谱分离提纯,通过优化色谱条件,采用常规的五氟苯基色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm),以乙腈-0.1%甲酸水(22.5∶77.5)为流动相,流速1.2 mL/min条件下,45 min内即可分离提纯四种立体异构体。该方法与常规C18柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)需要160 min,苯基柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)需要85~100 min才能将四种立体异构体实现色谱分离相比,缩短了分离时间,提高了提纯效率。通过紫外吸收光谱、质谱、圆二色谱对四种立体异构体进行表征,确定出峰顺序为trans(-)、trans(+)、cis(+)、cis(-)-anti-BPDE-N2-dG。此外,利用高效液相色谱-串联质谱(HPLC-MS/MS)检测anti-BPDE-N2-dG四种立体异构体标准品时,使用常规的五氟苯基色谱柱可在30 min内完成分离检测,与相同规格的苯基柱需要60 min相比提高了检测效率。     

Direct high-performance liquid chromatographic method for enantioselective and diastereoselective determination of selected pyrethroic acids

This study reports on the direct HPLC stereoisomer separation of selected pyrethroic acids employing commercial cinchona alkaloid derived chiral stationary phases (CSPs). cis/trans-Chrysanthemic acid (cis/trans-CA), cis/trans-chrysanthemum dicarboxylic acid (cis/trans-CDCA), cis/trans-permethrinic acid (cis/trans-PA), and fenvaleric acid (FA) were resolved into the individual stereoisomers, i.e. enantiomers and diastereomers as well. To achieve satisfactory baseline separation an optimisation of the variables of the chromatographic method including chemical structure of the cinchona carbamate CSP, mobile phase composition, and flow rate was required. All four stereoisomers of PA were successfully separated in a single run (alphacis = 1.20, alphatrans = 1.26, critical Rs = 1.65) with an acetonitrile (ACN)-based polar-organic eluent. The complete baseline resolution of all CA stereoisomers succeeded in polar-organic (alphacis = 1.20, alphatrans = 1.35, critical Rs = 3.03) as well as in acetonitrile-based reversed-phase media (alphacis = 1.24, alphatrans = 1.22, critical Rs = 2.73). The latter elution mode was also found to be suitable for the enantio- as well as diastereoselective resolution of CDCA (alphacis = 1.09, alphatrans = 1.50, critical Rs = 1.43), which is to the best of our knowledge the first reported enantiomer separation of this analyte. The enantiomers of FA could be baseline separated employing also reversed-phase mode (alpha = 1.16, Rs = 2.91). These separation methods may be applied for quality control processes in the production of stereoisomerically pure insecticides as well as stereoselective toxicokinetic studies, as CDCA, PA, and FA are suitable biomarkers for monitoring human pyrethroid burden.     

Intermittent simulated moving bed chromatography: 1. Design criteria and cyclic steady-state

The intermittent SMB (I-SMB) process is a multi-column chromatographic process, which is a modification of the conventional SMB process, has been applied so far only in the sugar industry and is claimed to achieve higher productivity. In the I-SMB process the time interval between two port switches is divided in two sub-intervals, and only during the first the product streams are collected. The potential of the I-SMB technology is demonstrated in the case of the separation of a binary mixture subject to the linear isotherm by using both the equilibrium theory of chromatography and detailed simulations. It is shown that a I-SMB with only four columns can achieve much higher separation performance than a SMB unit with four columns.     

Modification of a commercial chiral stationary phase influences on enantiomer separations using simulated moving bed chromatography

Chromatographic enantiomer separations using high-performance chromatography and the simulated moving bed (SMB) principle have become a practically useful method for obtaining optical isomers. The carbamate derivatives of amylose coated onto silica particles are very effective chiral stationary phases (CSPs). Several lots of Chiralpak AS, and its successor, Chiralpak AS-V, were compared by laser diffraction, microscopic imaging and pulse injections with increasing amounts of various racemates in order to determine the loading capacity and the competitive adsorption isotherms. Software simulations allowed to assess the possible effects due to the observed variations between the CSPs on the performance of a pilot SMB unit. The obtained results were verified by two multi-kilogram separations performed under current good manufacturing principles (cGMP) guidelines employing the two CSPs. The results of the two production runs are discussed in the light of the recently introduced "triangle theory" which allows to account for the overload conditions prevailing under preparative chromatographic conditions and to predict optimal operating conditions. Under optimized conditions the enantiomer separation of 1.4 kg racemate/kg stationary phase per day with purities >99.6% for the target enantiomer have been achieved.     

Theoretical study of multicomponent continuous countercurrent chromatography based on connected 4-zone units

Continuous countercurrent or simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography is a well-established separation technology. Conventional processes are based on four zones which fulfil distinct functions in order to split a feed into two fractions. Frequently there is an interest in isolating a target component out of a feed mixture containing more than two components. Modifications of the classical SMB process are required to solve this task. In the last years several concepts exploiting more than four zones have been suggested. To analyse these concepts the equilibrium theory has been frequently applied, neglecting all kinetic effects. It is the purpose of this paper to apply an equilibrium stage model in order to describe the performance of a combination of two or three 4-zone true moving bed units which are connected in series or integrated into 8- or 12-zone true moving bed units. The performance of such units is evaluated with respect to their potential to continuously separate ternary or quaternary mixtures. The analysis is based on the assumption of linear adsorption isotherms. An important aspect is the introduction of additional purge streams required for a successful operation of integrated 8- and 12-zone units.