Open tubular capillary columns with basic templates made by the generalized preparation protocol in capillary electrochromatography chiral separation and template structural effects on chiral separation capability

Some open tubular (OT) molecule imprinted polymer (MIP) silica capillary columns have been prepared using atenolol, sulpiride, methyl benzylamine (MBA) and (1-naphthyl)-ethylamine (NEA) as templates by the pre-established generalized preparation protocol. The four MIP thin layers of different templates showed quite different morphologies. The racemic selectivity of each MIP column for the template enantiomers was optimized by changing eluent composition and pH. The template structural effects on chiral separation performance have been examined. This work verifies the versatility of the generalized preparation protocol for OT-MIP silica capillary columns by extending its boundary toward templates with basic functional group moieties. This study is the very first report to demonstrate a generalized MIP preparation protocol that is valid for both acidic and basic templates. The chiral separation performances of atenolol and sulpiride by the MIPs of this study were found better than or comparable to those of atenolol and sulpiride obtained by non-MIP separation techniques and those of some basic template enantiomers obtained by MIP based techniques.     

Preparation of open tubular molecule imprinted polymer capillary columns with various templates by a generalized procedure and their chiral and non‐chiral separation performance in CEC

A generalized preparation procedure of open tubular (OT) molecule imprinted polymer (MIP) columns is proposed for a number of templates with acidic functionality such as profen drugs and others. The template (S‐enantiomer) was mixed with methacrylic acid, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate and 4‐styrenesulfonic acid, dissolved in a porogen mixture of ACN/2‐propanol (9/1), and incubated in a pretreated and silanized fused silica capillary by the thermal non‐covalent polymerization procedure. The whole preparation procedure was exactly the same for all the MIP capillaries except for the selection of template. Nevertheless, the morphologies of the MIP layers were markedly variant depending upon the choice of template. The separation efficiency of each OT‐MIP column for chiral separation of R‐ and S‐enantiomers was examined and tuned to obtain the best separation efficiency by changing the chromatographic parameters such as eluent composition and pH. Different optimized conditions were obtained for different OT‐MIP columns. Nevertheless, a unified eluent could be used to obtain still quite satisfactory results. Non‐chiral separation of the MIP columns were also examined in the unified eluent with two sets of test mixtures, that is, a mixture of alkylbenzenes and a mixture of small polar solutes. The chiral and non‐chiral separation of this study resulted in very good separation efficiencies. This work is the very first study for the generalization of preparation of OT‐MIP columns for a number of templates.     

Investigation of enantiomer recognition of molecularly imprinted polymeric monoliths in pressurized capillary electrochromatography screening the amino acids and their derivatives

Molecularly imprinted monolithic columns were prepared for chiral separation of tyrosine and its amino acid derivatives by in situ therm-initiated copolymerization of methacrylic acid, 4-vinylpyridine and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate. The enantiomers were rapidly separated on monolithic columns in less than 10 min by pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC). The influences of several parameters such as the content of cross-linking monomer on the composition of the pre-polymerization mixture were systematically investigated. The influence of the pCEC conditions including the composition of the mobile phase was also optimized to obtain the good enantioseparation. It was found that in addition to molecularly imprinted recognition, chromatographic retention and electrophoretic migration play important roles in the retention and chiral recognition of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) columns. The cross-selectivity for similar amino acids and its derivatives were systematical investigated for understanding the recognition mechanism on the MIP monolithic columns. The results indicated that molecularly imprinted polymer recognizes the template molecule by its molecular shape defined binding cavity.     

腈菌唑分子印迹聚合物的制备及识别性能研究

以腈菌唑为模板分子，采用原位分子印迹技术，制备具有特定识别性能的连续棒状分子印迹聚合物。考察了流动相中酸量对分离的影响，研究了几种结构类似物在所得分子印迹柱上的保留特性。结果表明，这种棒状分子印迹聚合物比相应的空白聚合物有高的识别性能和选择性。     

Chiral recognition applications of molecularly imprinted polymers: a critical review

Molecular imprinting technology offers the unique opportunity to tailor chiral stationary phases with predefined chiral recognition properties by employing the enantiomers of interest as binding-site-forming templates. Added advantages, such as ease of preparation, chemical robustness, low-cost production, and the possibility of shaping molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in various self-supporting formats, render them attractive materials for a broad range of chiral recognition applications. In this review a critical overview on recent developments in the field of MIP-based chiral recognition applications is given, focusing on separation techniques and molecular sensing. Inherent limitations associated with the use of enantioselective MIP materials in high-performance separation techniques are outlined, including binding site heterogeneity and slow mass transfer characteristics. The prospects of MIP materials as versatile recognition elements for the design of enantioselective sensor systems are highlighted.     

三元交联剂分子烙印手性固定相

采用２－乙烯基吡啶＋丙烯酰胺复合功能单体,以三甲氧基丙烷三甲基丙烯酸酯为三元交联剂制备了苯甲氧羰基－Ｌ－色氨酸烙印手性固定相,并与二元交联剂烙印相同氨基酸衍生物的情况进行了对比,发现三元交联剂在较小的用量下就可使分子烙印聚合物达到足够的交联度,实现烙印分子对映体的基线分离。     

以分子印迹聚合物为固定相手性拆分1,1′-联-2-萘酚及其衍生物

以(R)-(+)-1,1′-联-2-萘酚为模板分子,4-乙烯基吡啶为功能单体合成了分子印迹聚合物,将其作为高效液相色谱的固定相,研究其手性识别特性。对该固定相的手性拆分的色谱条件进行了优化。实验结果表明,合成的印迹聚合物对(R)-(+)-1,1′-联-2-萘酚具有较强的亲和力和特定的选择性,能有效拆分1,1′-联-2-萘酚对映体,分离因子最高达到12.25。通过优化色谱条件,该分子印迹聚合物还能对与1,1′-联-2-萘酚结构相似的衍生物5,6,7,8,5′,6′,7′,8′-八氢-1,1′-联-2-萘酚和1,1′-联萘-2-氨基-2′-酚进行手性拆分,分离因子分别达到1.51和2.40。     

Robust open tubular layer of S-ketoprofen imprinted polymer for chiral LC separation

This study is about the preparation of an open tubular capillary column of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) and its application to chiral separation by microLC. A non-covalent in-situ molecular imprinting polymerization protocol was used to synthesize the S-ketoprofen MIP. A special procedure was employed to secure formation of an open tubular and rigid MIP layer in a silica capillary of 100 microm id. The capillary was filled with the reaction mixture, sealed, and placed in a water bath at 50 degrees C for 3 h. Then it was flushed with a 0.5 MPa nitrogen flow for 5 min, and was again placed in the water bath for 2 h to complete MIP formation. Methacrylic acid (MAA) has been known to be an inefficient functional monomer in preparation of MIP of an acid molecule. However, MAA was used with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate in preparation of the S-ketoprofen MIP in this study. The open tubular structure and the microLC mode of separation enabled free optimization without any restriction, thus a very good resolution (R=4.7) of ketoprofen enantiomers was achieved when a mobile phase composed of 30% acetonitrile and 70% acetate buffer at pH 4.5 was used with 5 mbar inlet pressure. This may be partially attributed to the open tubular structure of our MIP, enabling low column back-pressure and free optimization of eluent composition, as well as to the small capillary dimensions. Our MIP capillary column also showed some versatility in chiral separation, thus a good chiral separation was observed for naproxen, ibuprofen, and fenoprofen enantiomers.     

模板分子中作用基团的数目及位置对印迹聚合物印迹效应的影响

为了研究模板分子中作用基团的数目和位置对印迹聚合物印迹效应的影响, 分别以含有羟基数目和位置不同的羟基苯甲酸化合物3,4,5-三羟基苯甲酸(3,4,5-THBA), 3,4-二羟基苯甲酸(3,4-DHBA), 2,4-二羟基苯甲酸(2,4-DHBA)和3-羟基苯甲酸(3-HBA)为模板分子, 以丙烯酰胺为功能单体, 乙二醇二甲基丙烯酸酯为交联剂和乙腈(MeCN)为致孔剂, 采用非共价本体聚合方法制备了对应的印迹聚合物, 用色谱法评价了其分子识别性能. 结果表明, 制备的印迹聚合物对相应的模板分子均具有印迹效应, 在流动相H₂O/MeCN(体积比1/99)中, 各印迹聚合物对相应的模板分子3,4,5-THBA, 3,4-DHBA, 2,4-DHBA和3-HBA的印迹因子分别为5.51, 5.55, 2.60和2.03. 通过与同样条件下制备的龙胆酸(GA)、水杨酸(SA)和对-羟基苯甲酸(4-HBA)印迹聚合物对其模板分子印迹效应的比较发现, 模板分子中作用基团数目越多, 印迹效率越高; 模板分子中作用基团-COOH和-OH的相对位置对印迹效率影响很大, 当-COOH和-OH在苯环上处于对位时的印迹效率, 高于其处于间位的印迹效率; 当-COOH和-OH在苯环上处于邻位时, 由于形成分子内氢键会降低其印迹效率. 实验还发现, 3,4-DHBA的印迹聚合物可以实现其结构类似物3,4,5-THBA和2,4-DHBA的基线分离, 为生物活性组分3,4,5-THBA的分离和测定提供了依据.     

Dual‐templates molecularly imprinted monolithic columns for the evaluation of serotonin and histamine in CEC

To extend the application of molecularly imprinted polymers, the dual‐templates molecularly imprinted monolithic columns were developed in a capillary format. Two templates serotonin and histamine were simultaneously imprinted using two different functional monomers such as methacrylic acid (MAA) and methylenesuccinic acid (MSA) in a mixture of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as a cross‐linker and AIBN as polymerization initiator dissolved in DMF as porogen. The resulting molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) were characterized based on their performance in the CEC separation of two imprinted templates. The optimization parameters such as pH, ACN composition, and concentration of the eluent were varied to achieve best resolution and efficiency for CEC separation of templates with each MIP column. It was found that the MIP monolith column fabricated using MSA offered better resolution and separation efficiency compared to column fabricated with MAA. This work utilized the dual‐templates imprinting approach successfully and broadens the scope of multi‐templates imprinting capabilities in capillary format in CEC application.     

Molecularly imprinted polymers as a tool for separation in CEC

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are synthesized in the presence of a template which results in the formation of specific recognition cavities complementary to the template in shape and chemical functionality. One of the most successful application areas of MIPs is chromatographic sorbents, which are tailor-made synthetic polymers for a given analyte. However, low efficiency of MIP columns is often observed because of slow kinetics of the template. CEC-based MIPs are thought to improve efficiency of MIP-based separation due to the enhanced flow dynamics of CEC. Another attractive feature is the miniaturized format of CEC, so that fewer templates or monomers for the molecular imprinting are consumed, a characteristic desired for 'green chemistry'. The small dimensions of a capillary demand the development of novel polymer formats that can be applied to a miniaturized system. This review discusses the various formats, i.e., the micro- or nanoparticle, the coating and the monolith, for application in CEC as well as the use in MIP syntheses and characteristics.     

Fabrication of molecularly imprinted hybrid monoliths via a room temperature ionic liquid-mediated nonhydrolytic sol-gel route for chiral separation of zolmitriptan by capillary electrochromatography

A room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL)-mediated nonhydrolytic sol-gel (NHSG) protocol was explored for the fabrication of new molecularly imprinted silica-based hybrid monoliths for chiral separation of a basic template zolmitriptan by CEC. The RTIL-mediated NHSG protocol involved free-radical copolymerization and NHSG process. Three carboxylic acids (trifluoromethyl acrylic acid, cinnamic acid, and methacrylic acid (MAA)) were examined as both the functional monomers and the catalysts for the NHSG condensation of methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) to form silica-based framework. RTIL was incorporated to reduce gel shrinkage and also to act as the pore template. The effects of carboxylic acids and RTIL on the performance of the silica-based hybrid molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) monoliths were investigated in detail to realize excellent chiral recognition and to give new insights into the mechanism of the RTIL-mediated NHSG strategy. Excellent chiral separation of (R)/(S)-zolmitriptan was achieved when the molar ratio of MAA to MPTMS was 1:4 and 1:2 with RTIL involved. The synergism of the free-radical copolymerization of the C=C bond of carboxylic acids and MPTMS with the NHSG condensation of MPTMS catalyzed by the carboxylic acids was demonstrated. The incorporation of RTIL increased porosity, and hence improved selectivity of the prepared hybrid monoliths.     

Molecularly imprinted CEC sorbents: investigations into polymer preparation and electrolyte composition

The influence of the sorbent preparation protocol and separation parameters on the selectivity and chromatographic efficiency of super-porous molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) monoliths in capillary electrochromatography (CEC) was studied. Chiral templates were employed and enantiomer separation and resolution were used as measures of imprint selectivity and column efficiency, respectively; the latter was in addition studied by chromatography of non-related aromatic structures. The polymer preparation was varied with respect to monomer composition in the pre-polymerisation mixture and also the use of single versus multiple template(s). The separation parameters investigated were type and content of organic solvent and surfactant modifier in the electrolyte. It was found that acetone and acetonitrile in buffer mixtures provided enantiomer separation of enantiomers of the template and also structural analogues; however, the degree of separation was greatly influenced by the content in the electrolyte. Three surfactants, sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyoxyethylene sorbitanmonolaurate (Tween 20), were examined as electrolyte modifiers. It was found that addition of SDS decreased and CTAB and Tween 20 increased the enantiomer separation. SDS and CTAB could be used up to 1 mM concentration whereas Tween could be used up to 90 mM concentration without causing baseline disturbances. The effects found and demonstrated strongly suggest that these parameters are to be considered during optimisation of an MIP-CEC system.     

Molecularly imprinted microparticles for capillary electrochromatography: studies on microparticle synthesis and electrolyte composition.

The use of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) microparticles in a partial filling application of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) has previously been shown successful for the enantiomer separation of propranolol. In this investigation, the influence of some important parameters in the preparation protocol, i.e., template to monomer ratio, type of cross-linker and functional monomers, and the effect of separation condition, i.e., organic modifier content, pH and the temperature of the column, on the electrochromatographic behavior of the MIP microparticles were studied. It was found that ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA), having two reactive double bonds, was superior in terms CEC performance to trimethylpropane trimethacrylate (TRIM) and pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETEA) having three and four double bonds, respectively. The use of weak functional monomers, i.e., monomers lacking a strong interaction with the template, was shown to increase the separation efficiency. It was found that the template to functional monomer ratio had a pronounced influence on the MIP microparticle partial filling CEC performance as well as the size of the obtained microparticles. The use of a partial filling technique realizes the use of a new MIP phase in every new separation as well as the ability of altering the selectivity of the separation column and length of the MIP without the need for column switching.     

Open tubular layer of S‐ofloxacin imprinted polymer fabricated in silica capillary for chiral CEC separation

An open tubular molecule imprinted polymer (OT‐MIP) capillary column has been prepared for chiral separation of ofloxacin enantiomers in CEC. The S‐ofloxacin imprinted OT column was fabricated by thermally initiated non‐covalent polymerization procedure inside a pretreated and silanized fused silica capillary. The template molecule was incorporated with methacrylic acid (MAA), ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) and 4‐styrenesulfonic acid (4‐SSA) and dissolved in a porogen mixture of ACN/2‐propanol (9:1). The separation efficiency of the 4‐SSA MIP column was found quite better than that of the MIP column without 4‐SSA. It has been demonstrated that our OT‐MIP column can separate ofloxacin enantiomers with excellent chiral separation efficiency after tuning the various chromatographic conditions. The optimized chromatographic eluent was 85:15, v/v%, ACN/60 mM sodium acetate at pH 7. The separation efficiency and selectivity of chiral separation of this study were far better than those obtained by previous methods for chiral separation of R‐ and S‐ofloxacin.     

Coatings of one monomer molecularly imprinted polymers for open tubular capillary electrochromatography

One monomer molecularly imprinted polymer coatings were first synthesized in fused silica capillary columns with 2-methacrylamidopropyl methacrylate (MAM) as single functional monomer in addition to a cross-linking monomer. Since MAM may generate no or little EOF, a strategy of precursor of polymerization, which does not interfere with the formation of defined imprints, was used to introduce an ionizable functional monomer to generate a stable electroosmotic flow for electrochromatography (CEC) by post-polymerization hydrolization. The resulting MAM-based open-tubular imprinted capillary was able to separate enantiomers by means of CEC. The resolution of enantiomers separation achieved on S-amlodipine-imprinted capillary was up to 16.1. The strong recognition ability (selectivity factor was 3.23) and high column performance (theory plates was 26,053 plates m(-1)) of template were obtained. The MIP coatings were also prepared using either S-naproxen or S-ketoprofen as template molecule. The resolutions of enantiomers separation were 2.20 and 4.56, respectively. The results illustrate that the synthesis of MIP using one monomer is not only an experimental-simplified process, but also an approach to producing chiral stationary phase with high efficiency and selectivity.     

S-citalopram imprinted monolithic columns for capillary electrochromatography enantioseparations

In this study, the molecular imprinting method was used to separate enantiomeric forms of chiral antidepressant drug, R,S-citalopram (R,S-CIT) in aqueous solution by CEC system combining the advantages of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). For that, an amino acid-based molecularly imprinted monolithic capillary column was designed and used as a stationary phase for selective separation of S-citalopram (S-CIT) for the first time. S-CIT was selectively separated from the aqueous solution containing the other enantiomeric form of R-CIT, which is the same in size and shape as the template molecule. Morphology of the molecularly imprinted (MIP S-CIT) and non-imprinted (NIP S-CIT) monolithic capillary columns was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Imprinting efficiency of MIP S-CIT monolithic capillary column used for selective S-CIT separation was verified by comparing with NIP S-CIT and calculated imprinting factor (I.F:1.81) proved the high selectivity of the MIP S-CIT for S-CIT. Cavities formed for S-CIT form enabled selective (α = 2.08) separation of the target molecule from the other enantiomeric R-CIT form. Separation was achieved in a short period of 10 min, with the electrophoretic mobility of 7.68 × 10⁻⁶ m²/Vs for R,S-CIT at pH 7.0 10 mM PB and 50% ACN ratio. The performance of both MIP S-CIT and NIP S-CIT columns was estimated by repeating the R,S-CIT separations with intra-batch and inter-batch studies for reproducibility of retention times of R,S-CITs. Estimated RSD values that are lower than 2% suggest that the monolithic columns separate R,S-CIT enantiomers without losing separation efficiency.     

用于分子识别的分子印迹聚合物固定相

着重介绍了分子印迹聚合物（MIP）作为一种分离介质在手性化合物拆分方面的应用,系统总结了分子印迹的原理和MIP的4种合成方法,初步探讨了MIP的分子识别机理,并阐述了它的应用以及优点和缺点。     

Chiral separation of racemic mandelic acids by use of an ionic liquid-mediated imprinted monolith with a metal ion as self-assembly pivot

A new chiral stationary phase based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) was prepared in ionic liquid by use of the metal pivot concept. Imprinted monoliths were synthesized by use of a mixture of R-mandelic acid (template), 4-vinylpyridine, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and several metal ions as pivot between the template and functional monomer. A ternary mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide–dimethylformamide–[BMIM]BF₄ containing metal ions was used as the porogenic system. Separation of the enantiomers of rac-mandelic acid was successfully achieved on the MIP thus obtained, with resolution of 1.87, whereas no enantiomer separation was observed on the imprinted monolithic column in the absence of metal ions. The effects of polymerization conditions, including the nature of the metal ion and the ratios of template to metal ions and template to functional monomer, on the chiral separation of mandelic acid were investigated. The results reveal that use of metal ions as a pivot, in combination with ionic liquid, is an effective method for preparation of a highly efficient MIP stationary phase for chiral separation.

对羟基苯甲酸、水杨酸分子印迹聚合物分子识别性质的 研究

以对羟基苯甲酸(4-HBA)为模板分子,4-乙烯吡啶(4-Vpy)为功能单体,制备得到了4-HBA分子印迹聚合物P(4-HBA),研究了该聚合物的分子识别机理,并与在同样条件下制备的水杨酸(SA)分子印迹聚合物P(SA)进行了分子识别能力的比较。结果表明：P(SA)比P(4-HBA)具有更好的分子识别能力。这是由于SA的酸性较4-HBA强,因此与碱性功能单体4-Vpy之间的静电作用更强,从而得到的复合物更稳定。本实验结果证明：功能单体与模板分子形成稳定的复合物是得到分子识别能力高的模板聚合物的前提条件。本文将有助于对分子印迹的过程以及分子印迹聚合物分子识别机理的进一步理解,并且对于根据模板分子的性质预测MIP的分子识别能力也将具有一定的指导意义。