Comparison of monomeric and polymeric amino acid based surfactants for chiral separations

To better understand chiral recognition with polymeric amino acid based surfactants, the chromatographic performance of 18 monomeric and polymeric surfactants were compared for chiral analytes with various charge states and hydrophobicities. In this study, four amino acids (glycine, L-alanine, L-valine, and L-leucine) were chosen, and all possible combinations of the chiral single amino acid and dipeptide surfactants were synthesized. The results indicate that polymeric surfactants usually provide better chiral resolution for enantiomers of lorazepam, temazepam, 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol, and propranolol as compared to monomeric surfactants. In contrast, monomers perform better for chiral recognition of the 1,1'-bi-2-naphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogenphosphate enantiomers.     

Chiral separations using polymeric dipeptide surfactants: effect of number of chiral centers and steric factors.

Two polymeric dipeptide chiral surfactants (PDCSs), poly sodium N-undecanoyl isoleucyl-valinate (SUILV) with three chiral centers and poly sodium N-undecanoyl leucyl-valinate (SULV) with two chiral centers, have been evaluated and compared as chiral pseudo-stationary phases in electrokinetic capillary chromatography. The performance of these surfactants, in terms of enantioselectivity was examined using anionic, cationic and neutral analytes. Analyses of the data suggest that the enantiomeric resolutions of the analytes with these two PDCSs are dependent upon steric factors rather than number of stereogenic centers.     

Robustness testing of chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis using highly-sulfated cyclodextrins

The robustness of a generic method for chiral separation in capillary electrophoresis using highly-sulfated cyclodextrins in a low pH phosphate buffer and the "short-end injection technique" was studied. In this study, we focused on the robustness of the separations and not of the quantitative analysis of the enantiomers. The robustness was evaluated for the enantiomeric separation of a basic (propranolol), a neutral (praziquantel) and an acidic (warfarin) compound. The influence of eight factors which were believed to affect significantly the separations was studied using a 11-factor, 12-experiment Plackett-design. Statistical interpretation of the factor effects on different analytical responses (selectivity and resolution) was performed. The separations of the three compounds could be considered as rather robust as the factor effects were generally not significant (alpha = 0.05) and small.     

Neutral cyclodextrins as chiral agents for enantiomeric separations of chromanes in capillary electrophoresis

Summary Six different cyclodextrins with varying cavity size and rim substitution were used as chiral agents for the enantiomeric separation of eight chromane compounds or analogues using capillary electrophoresis. It is shown that the cyclodextrin type and concentration have a large influence on the enantiomeric separation obtained for these compounds. A chiral resolution of 1.4 or better could be obtained for all the substances with either substituted heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-β-cyclodextrin or unsubstituted γ-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector. The influence of the γ-cyclodextrin concentration, ionic strength and pH on the chiral separations was also investigated with a multivariate screening design. The detection limit and resolution of the present method allow determinations of the investigated compounds down to a chiral impurity of less than 0.1 % (area/area).     

Rapid screening for chiral separations by short-end injection capillary electrophoresis using highly sulfated cyclodextrins as chiral selectors

Two series of amino acid derivatives and phenylamines were used to evaluate the potential of highly sulfated cyclodextrins (HS-CDs) for the screening for chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis (CE). HS-CDs showed to be very versatile and to exhibit very high enantioselectivity. The use of short-end injection allowed to reduce dramatically the analysis time. From the results obtained, a scheme for the rapid screening of enantiomeric molecules was developed and applied to various chiral drugs. Results are very satisfying as almost all compounds (62 out of 67) could be baseline-resolved. Usually, less than three experiments were necessary to obtain very good separation.     

Evaluation of chiral ionic liquids as additives to cyclodextrins for enantiomeric separations by capillary electrophoresis

A great interest has been drawn these last years towards ionic liquids in analytical chemistry, especially for separation methods. Recent synthesis of chiral ILs opened the way of the evaluation of new potential selectors for enantiomeric separations. This work focused on the evaluation of two chiral ILs (ethyl- and phenylcholine of bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) by CE. Particular selectivities are awaited by exploiting unique ion-ion or ion-dipole interactions and by tailoring the nature of the cation and the anion. To evaluate such phenomena, a study was carried out with anti-inflammatory drugs 2-arylpropionic acids as model compounds. The results show that these chiral ILs did not present direct enantioselectivity with regard to these model analytes. The influence of chiral ILs in the electrolytes was then studied in the presence of classical chiral selectors (di- or trimethyl-beta-cyclodextrin). Although no general trend could be established, an increase in separation selectivity and resolution was observed in some cases, suggesting synergistic effects. The complementary determination of apparent inclusion constant values of these IL cations in the used cyclodextrins by affinity CE provided support to the understanding of the phenomena involved.     

Dynamic high-resolution computer simulation of electrophoretic enantiomer separations with neutral cyclodextrins as chiral selectors

GENTRANS, a comprehensive one-dimensional dynamic simulator for electrophoretic separations and transport, was extended for handling electrokinetic chiral separations with a neutral ligand. The code can be employed to study the 1:1 interaction of monovalent weak and strong acids and bases with a single monovalent weak or strong acid or base additive, including a neutral cyclodextrin, under real experimental conditions. It is a tool to investigate the dynamics of chiral separations and to provide insight into the buffer systems used in chiral capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and chiral isotachophoresis. Analyte stacking across conductivity and buffer additive gradients, changes of additive concentration, buffer component concentration, pH, and conductivity across migrating sample zones and peaks, and the formation and migration of system peaks can thereby be investigated in a hitherto inaccessible way. For model systems with charged weak bases and neutral modified β-cyclodextrins at acidic pH, for which complexation constants, ionic mobilities, and mobilities of selector-analyte complexes have been determined by CZE, simulated and experimentally determined electropherograms and isotachopherograms are shown to be in good agreement. Simulation data reveal that CZE separations of cationic enantiomers performed in phosphate buffers at low pH occur behind a fast cationic migrating system peak that has a small impact on the buffer composition under which enantiomeric separation takes place.     

Recent innovations in the use of charged cyclodextrins in capillary electrophoresis for chiral separations in pharmaceutical analysis

A review is presented on the use of charged cyclodextrins (CDs) as chiral selectors in capillary electrophoresis (CE) for the separation of analytes in pharmaceutical analysis. An overview is given of theoretical models that have been developed for a better prediction of the enantiomeric resolution and for a better understanding of the separation mechanism. Several types of charged CDs have been used in chiral capillary electrophoretic separation (anionic, cationic, and amphoteric CDs). Especially the anionic CDs seem to be valuable due to the fact that many pharmaceutically interesting compounds can easily be protonated (e.g., amine groups). For that reason several anionic CDs are now commercially available. Cationic and amphoteric CDs are less common in chiral analysis and only a few are commercially available. Attention is paid to the most common synthesis routes and the characterization of the CDs used in chiral capillary electrophoretic separations. The degree of substitution in the synthesized CDs may vary from one manufacturer to another or even from batch to batch, which may have a detrimental effect on the reproducibility and ruggedness of the separation system. In Sections 4, 5, and 6 the applications of anionic, cationic, and amphoteric CDs for the chiral separation in CE are described. Many interesting examples are shown and the influence of important parameters on the enantioselectivity is discussed.     

Microchip electrophoresis for chiral separations

Microchip electrophoresis (MCE) is a promising new technique for the separation of enantiomers. This recently introduced technique enables chiral separations to be performed in seconds on tiny micromachined devices. This review is intended to give a brief introduction into the principles of chiral separations with MCE with regard to methodology and instrumentation. Different approaches to realize chiral separations in microfluidic devices are described and discussed. This review gives an overview of original work done in this field with emphasis on approaches to improve detection and resolution in chiral MCE.     

Interaction of cyclodextrins with drugs. Chromatographic investigation using a cyclodextrin bonded-phase and its application to chiral separations

Summary The interaction between cyclodextrin and the drug (1R,2S,3S,4S)-(5Z)-7-(3-((phenylsulfonyl)amino)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl)hept-5-enoic acid ((+)-S-145), was studied using -, -, and -cyclodextrin bonded-phase columns. Retention behavior of (+)-S-145 on these columns revealed that the strength of inclusion was -cyclodextrin. Interaction between -cyclodextrin and (+)-S-145 was found to increase as the proportion of carboxylic ion in the (+)-S-145 molecule increased. Comparison of binding capacities of these bondedsilica gels obtained by frontal analysis and surface coverage indicated that availability of the immobilized - and -cyclodextrin was 20–25%. The synthesized -cyclodextrin bonded-phase column was superior to that of commercial columns in terms of chiral separation of (±)-S-145. A typical usage of the -cyclodextrin column is discussed for separation of (±)-S-145 in plasma samples.     

Biocompatible polymeric monoliths for protein and peptide separations

The concept of biocompatibility with reference to chromatographic stationary phases for separation of biomolecules (including proteins and peptides) is introduced. Biocompatible is a characteristic that indicates resistance to nonspecific adsorption of biomolecules and preservation of their structures and biochemical functions. Two types of biocompatible polymeric monoliths [i. e., polyacrylamide‐ and poly(meth)acrylate‐based monoliths] used for protein and peptide separations are reviewed in detail, with emphasis on size exclusion, ion exchange, and hydrophobic interaction chromatographic modes. Biocompatible monoliths for enzyme reactors are also included. The two main synthetic approaches to produce biocompatible monoliths are summarized, i. e., surface modification of a monolith that is not inherently biocompatible and direct copolymerization of hydrophilic monomers to form a biocompatible monolith directly. Integration of polyethylene glycol into the poly(meth)acrylate monolith network is becoming popular for reduction of non‐specific protein interactions.     

Rupturing polymeric micelles with cyclodextrins

Small-angle neutron scattering has been used to investigate the associative structures formed by triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-polypropylene oxide (PPO)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) (also known as Pluronics) and to monitor the structural changes occurring upon complexation with heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin (hbeta-CD) over the temperature range from 5 to 70 degrees C. At low temperature, the Pluronics are dispersed as unimers. Close to ambient temperature, the hydrophobicity of PPO causes the aggregation of the polymers into spherical micelles with core sizes between 40 and 50 A and a high inclusion of solvent. The aggregation number increases with temperature as the hydrophobicity of the core is gradually enhanced. hbeta-CD spontaneously forms pseudopolyrotaxanes with the triblock copolymers either when in their unimer form or micellized. The complexation results in an increase in the effective critical micellar concentration. It is suggested that the cyclodextrins thread onto the polymer backbone to localize preferentially on the central PPO block, therefore improving its water solubility. At temperatures where the polymers exist in micellar form, complexation with hbeta-CD gives rise to a complete disruption of the aggregates. These processes are highly temperature-dependent. Above 50 degrees C, the break-up of the aggregates is inhibited, and large-scale aggregation is observed.     

Derivatized vancomycin stationary phases for LC chiral separations

In this work, synthetic and natural chiral selectors were combined to form two different chiral stationary phases (CSPs). These were made by bonding R- or S-(1-naphthylethyl) carbamate (R-NEC or S-NEC)-derivatized vancomycin molecules to a silica gel support. The two CSPs were evaluated using a set of 60 enantiomeric pairs. The results were compared to the ones obtained with the commercial underivatized vancomycin CSP. Three Chromatographic modes were used: (i) the normal-phase mode using a nonpolar mobile phase with different ratios of hexane and ethanol; (ii) the reversed-phase mode with hydro-organic mobile phases; and (iii) the polar aprotic organic mode with nonaqueous acetonitrile plus small amounts of methanol and an acid and/or base to control retention and selectivity. It is shown that the polarity of the underivatized vancomycin phase is higher than that of the two R- and S-NEC-derivatized CSPs. In the pH range 4-7, there is no ionization change of the chiral selector for the three CSPs. 43% of the studied compounds were resolved by the NEC-derivatized phases when they could not be resolved by the vancomycin CSP. However, the enantiorecognition for 12% of the compounds on the native vancomycin CSP was lost upon NEC derivatization. 45% of the studied compounds were resolved by the NEC-derivatized and native CSPs. The NEC derivatization procedure may block some useful active sites on the vancomycin molecule. Also, the R- and S-NEC moieties are chiral themselves and can contribute additional interaction sites not available on the native vancomycin molecule.     

Enantiomeric separations of drugs using mixtures of charged and neutral cyclodextrins

An overview on the use of mixtures of neutral and charged cyclodextrins as chiral additives for the enantioseparation of drugs by capillary electrophoresis is presented. These so called dual cyclodextrin systems can often provide unique selectivities. A brief theoretical background illustrating the influence of the chiral discrimination ability and the effective mobility of the two cyclodextrins on the overall selectivity of the enantiomeric separation is given. Typical examples of applications in the pharmaceutical field, based on the simultaneous use of a charged (cationic or anionic) and neutral cyclodextrins, are described.     

Application of polymeric surfactants in micellar electrokinetic chromatography-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry of benzodiazepines and benzoxazocine chiral drugs

Chiral micellar EKC (CMEKC) coupled to ESI-MS using polymeric surfactants as pseudostationary phases is investigated for simultaneous enantioseparation of two benzodiazepines, (+/-)-oxazepam ((+/-)-OXA) and (+/-)-lorazepam ((+/-)-LOR), and one benzoxazocine, (+/-)-nefopam ((+/-)-NEF). First, enantioselectivity and electrospray sensitivity of six chiral polymeric surfactants for all three chiral compounds are compared. Second, using poly(sodium N-undecenoyl-L-leucinate) as pseudostationary phase, the organic modifiers (methanol (MeOH), isopropanol, and ACN) are added into the running buffer to further improve chiral resolution (RS). Next, a CMEKC-ESI-MS method for the simultaneous enantioseparation of two benzodiazepines is further developed by using a dipeptide polymeric surfactant, poly(sodium N-undecenoxy carbonyl-L,L-leucyl-valinate) (poly-L,L-SUCLV). The CMEKC conditions including nebulizer pressure, capillary length, ammonium acetate concentration, pH, poly-L,L-SUCLV concentration, and capillary temperature were optimized to achieve maximum chiral RS and highest sensitivity of MS detection. The spray chamber parameters (drying gas temperature and drying gas flow rate) as well as sheath liquid conditions (MeOH content, pH, flow rate, and ionic strength) were found to significantly influence MS S/N of both (+/-)-OXA and (+/-)-LOR. Finally, a comparative study between simultaneous UV and MS detection showed high plate numbers, better chiral RS, and enhanced detectability with CMEKC-MS. However, speed of analysis was faster using CMEKC-UV.     

Open-celled polymeric foam monoliths for heavy metal separations study

Open-celled polymeric foam monoliths prepared by high internal phase emulsion polymerization (HIPE) are being investigated as improved materials for separation of heavy metals. In column flow studies, the foam monoliths have high flow rates and are durable up to at least 40 psi. A 4-vinylpyridine functionality has been incorporated into vinylbenzylchloride/styrene copolymer foams by graft-polymerization of vinylpyridine. The open structure of the foam and the flexible graft-polymerized ion-exchange chains result in improved kinetics in metal uptake. Iron uptake kinetics were greatly increased in the grafted foams over resin beads of similar structure. Plutonium uptake kinetics were moderately increased in the foams.     

Modification of reversed-phase separations of small molecules using non-ionic surfactants and mixed ionic-non-ionic surfactants

The effects of non-ionic surfactants, Tween 20 and Tween 60, on reversed-phase separations of small molecules have been examined. Tween compounds were found to partition irreversibly into the ODS material used, markedly decreasing capacity factors for the compounds tested. Compounds which could hydrogen bond were less affected. Ion pairing using either anionic or cationic surfactants was possible in the presence of the non-ionic surfactants. While reversed-phase effects predominate under these conditions, secondary effects on retention order were observed and attributed to hydrogen bonding. Primary amines were retained longer than the corresponding secondary amine while catechols were retained longer than the corresponding methoxyphenols.     

Subsecond chiral separations on a microchip

Fast chiral separation of DNS-amino acids could be realized using microchip electrophoresis with fluorescence detection. For this purpose, highly sulfated cyclodextrins (HS-gamma-CD) were used as chiral selectors enabling high selectivity. Even subsecond separation of DNS-tryptophan, DNS-norleucine, DNS-phenylalanine, DNS-methionine, and DNS-aspartic acid could be achieved. Baseline separation could be accomplished within 720 ms, which is the fastest separation of enantiomers reported to date. A more complex mixture consisting of three chiral DNS-amino acids could be separated within 3.3 s utilizing a separation length of only 7 mm and an electrical field strength of 2012 V/cm.