Enantiomer separations by capillary GC on modified gyclodextrins

Three new chiral selectors, 6-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-2,3-diethyl-a-cyclodextrin, 6-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-2,3-diethyl- and dipropyl-β-cyclodextrin (TBDE-α-CD, TBDE-β-CD, TBDP-β-CD) were synthesized and tested as chiral stationary phases in capillary gas chromatography. TBDE-β-CD in particular showed a high enan-tioselectivity for test chiral compounds due to good solubility in a polar polysiloxane (OV-1701). Enantioselectivity obtained with TBDE-β-CD was compared with that of 6-tert-butyldimethylsilyl-2,3-di-O-methyl-β-cyclodextrin (TBDM-β-CD). Better enantiose-lectivity was obtained with TBDE-P-CD than with TBDM-β-CD for the test chiral compounds studied. This is probably due to greater effect of the increased hydrophobicity of TBDE-β-CD which favors inclusion of the analytes than the effect of increased steric hindrance. With TBDP-β-CD the less polar lactones are well separated due most likely to increased hydrophobicity of the propyl groups while the more polar are not well resolved. For TBDP-β-CD it is likely that the unfavorable steric hindrance is predominant over the favorable hydrophobicity of the propyl groups, thus hindering the formation of inclusion complexes of the alcohols with TBDP-β-CD. TBDE-α-CD was also a valuable chiral selector for the separation of small chiral molecules such as simple secondary alcohols and nitro-substituted alcohols.