Capillary electrochromatographic separation of enantiomers under aqueous mobile phases on a covalently bonded cellulose derivative chiral stationary phase

A chemically bonded cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) chiral stationary phase (CSP) was prepared by a radical polymerization reaction. The prepared CSP was packed into fused-silica capillaries with inner diameter of 75 microm to perform enantiomer separations in CEC. The electrochromatographic behavior of the CSP was investigated. On the prepared CSP, high EOF could be generated under acidic mobile phases, which represented an advantage for the separation of acidic enantiomers. Several neutral, acidic, and basic enantiomers were resolved on the prepared CSP under aqueous mobile phases. The column efficiencies were between 20,000 and 100,000 plates/m, which were much higher than those of HPLC. In addition, it was observed that the separation of some enantiomers benefited from the adoption of THF as mobile phase modifier.     

Enantioselectivity of monolithic silica stationary phases immobilized with different concentrations cellulose tris (3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate), analyzed with different mobile phases in capillary electrochromatography

The 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate derivatives of cellulose bearing 3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl residues were immobilized in a capillary format onto a monolithic silica support by intermolecular polycondensation of the triethoxysilyl groups. The resulting columns were used for chiral separations using capillary electrochromatography. The effects of the synthesizing solvent, the selector coating procedure, the chiral selector concentration onto the silica monolith and the mobile phase pH value, on the separation of enantiomers were studied. The column-to-column reproducibility and stability also were evaluated. A test set of 14 chiral substances, including acidic, neutral, bifunctional and basic compounds, was used to investigate the effects of the factors mentioned above. Twelve pairs of enantiomers showed enantioselectivity at some of the different conditions tested. The column-to-column repeatability was satisfactory, and the prepared columns were stable under the adopted analysis conditions.     

Enantiomer separations by capillary electrochromatography using chiral stationary phases

The applicability of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) using packed capillary column to enantiomer separations was investigated. As chiral stationary phases, OD type packing materials of 5 and 3 microm particle diameters, originally designed for conventional high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were employed. The chiral packing materials were packed by a pressurized method into a 100 microm I.D. fused-silica capillary. Several racemic enantiomers, such as acidic, neutral and basic drug components, were successfully resolved, typically by using acidic or basic solutions containing acetonitrile as mobile phases. The separation efficiencies for some enantiomers in the chiral CEC system using the 5 microm OD type packing were superior to those obtained in HPLC using chiral packings. The plate heights obtained for several enantiomers were 8-13 microm or the reduced plate height of 1.6-2.6, which indicates the high efficiency of this chiral CEC system.     

Immobilization of phospholipid-avidin on fused-silica capillaries for chiral separation in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography

Phospholipid-coated fused-silica capillaries with immobilized avidin were applied in the chiral separation of D,L-tryptophan, D,L-PTH-serine, and D,L-PTH-threonine at pH 7.4 by open-tubular CEC. Liposomes prepared from 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(Cap biotinyl), or 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-(Biotinyl) with different amounts of phosphatidylserine were assessed as phospholipid coating materials. The stability of the coating and the success of the coating procedure were evaluated in terms of the repeatability of the enantiomer migration times and the resolution of enantiomers. The coating procedure itself significantly affected the migration times and resolution of the enantiomers. Reliable chiral separations with high separation efficiencies were achieved through careful choice of the coating method.     

Polyacrylamide-based monolithic capillary column with coating of cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl-carbamate) for enantiomer separation in capillary electrochromatography

A hydrophilic chiral capillary monolithic column for enantiomer separation in CEC was prepared by coating cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenyl-carbamate) (CDMPC) on porous hydrophilic poly(acrylamide-co-N,N'-methylene-bisacrylamide) (poly(AA-co-MBA)) monolithic matrix with confine of a fused-silica capillary. The coating conditions were optimized to obtain a stable and reproducible chiral stationary phase for CEC. The effect of organic modifier of ACN in aqueous mobile phase for the enantiomer separation by CEC was investigated, and the significant influence of ACN on the enantioresolution and electrochromatographic retention was observed. Twelve pairs of enantiomers including acidic, neutral, and basic analytes were tested and nine pairs of them were baseline-enantioresolved with acidic and basic aqueous mobile phases. A good within-column repeatability in retention time (RSD = 2.4%) and resolution (RSD = 3.2%) was obtained by consecutive injections of a neutral compound, benzoin, on a prepared chiral monolithic column, while the between-column repeatability in retention time (RSD = 6.4%) and resolution (RSD = 9.6%) was observed by column-to-column examination. The prepared monolithic stationary phase showed good stability in either acidic or basic mobile phase.     

Isotachophoresis separations of enantiomers on a planar chip with coupled separation channels

The use of a poly(methylmethacrylate) chip, provided with a pair of on-line coupled separation channels and on-column conductivity detectors, to isotachophoresis (ITP) separations of optical isomers was investigated. Single-column ITP, ITP in the tandem-coupled columns, and concentration-cascade ITP in the tandem-coupled columns were employed in this investigation using tryptophan enantiomers as model analytes. Although providing a high production rate (about 2 pmol of a pure tryptophan enantiomer separated per second), single-column ITP was found suitable only to the analysis of samples containing the enantiomers at close concentrations. A 94-mm separation path in ITP with the tandem-coupled separation channels made possible a complete resolution of a 1.5 nmol amount of the racemic mixture of the enantiomers. However, this led only to a moderate extension of the concentration range within which the enantiomers could be simultaneously quantified. The best results in this respect were achieved by using a concentration-cascade of the leading anions in the tandem-coupled separation channels. Here, a high production rate, favored in the first separation channel, was followed by the ITP migration of the enantiomers in the second channel under the electrolyte conditions enhancing their detectabilities. In dependence on the migration configuration of the enantiomers, this technique made possible their simultaneous determinations when their ratios in the loaded sample were 35:1 or less (D-tryptophan a major constituent) and 70:1 or less (L-tryptophan a major constituent).     

Separations of enantiomers by preparative capillary isotachophoresis.

The use of capillary isotachophoresis (ITP), operating in a discontinuous fractionation mode, for preparative separations of enantiomers of chiral compounds was studied. The ITP separations were carried out in the column-coupling configuration of the separation unit provided with the preseparation column of a 1.0 mm ID and the trapping column of a 0.8 mm ID. Such a configuration of the CE separation unit offers several working regimes suitable to preparative separations of enantiomers. 2,4-Dinitrophenyl-DL-norleucine (DNP-Norleu) was employed as a model analyte in our experiments with beta-cyclodextrin serving in the electrolyte solutions as a chiral selector. The preparative separations lasting about 20 min were evaluated by ITP and (more often) by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). It was found that one preparative run provided up to 14 microg of pure DNP-Norleu enantiomers. This corresponded to a 75 times higher production rate of ITP relative to a maximum value of this parameter as estimated for preparative CZE runs in cylindrical capillaries (0.5 pmol/s). About 75% of the DNP-Norleu enantiomers loaded into the preparative equipment could be recovered in pure enantiomer fractions. Contiguous natures of the zones in the ITP stack and adsorption losses of the enantiomers in the isolation step were found to set practical limits for a further enhancement of the recovery rates in the isolation of pure enantiomers.     

Enantioseparation of Chiral Antimycotic Drugs by HPLC with Polysaccharide-Based Chiral Columns and Polar Organic Mobile Phases with Emphasis on Enantiomer Elution Order

The separation of enantiomers of 10 chiral antimycotic drugs was studied on polysaccharide-based chiral columns with polar organic mobile phases. The emphasis was placed on some interesting examples of enantiomer elution order reversal observed depending on the chemistry of the chiral selector, separation temperature, major component, as well as the minor additive in the mobile phase. In particular, it was found that the elution order of enantiomers of chiral drug terconazole was opposite on cellulose- and amylose-based columns with the same pendant group. The affinity pattern of enantiomers of another chiral drug bifonazole was opposite towards to two amylose-based chiral selectors with different pendant groups. The affinity pattern of terconazole enantiomers also changed on some columns when the alcohol-based mobile phase was replaced with acetonitrile. An interesting effect of the minor acidic (formic acid) additives to the mobile phase on the affinity pattern of terconazole enantiomers was observed on Cellulose-2 and Cellulose-4 columns. In addition, a reversal of elution order of bifonazole enantiomers was observed on Amylose-2 column by variation of a separation temperature.     

Enantiomer separation by capillary electrochromatography using fritless packed columns.

This review summarizes recent developments in the field of enantiomer separation by capillary electrochromatography using fritless packed columns. Various enantiomers have been separated by employing fritless packed columns prepared in a fused silica capillary either by the immobilization of chiral packing materials by sintering or sol-gel technology or by in situ polymerization of a mixture containing chiral selectors. The details of the column preparation procedures and the attainable column performance are described.     

Preparation and evaluation of a vancomycin-immobilized silica monolith as chiral stationary phase for CEC

Enantiomeric separations in CEC with the macrocyclic antibiotic vancomycin immobilized silica monolith as a chiral stationary phase are presented. The monolithic silica capillary columns were prepared by a sol-gel process in fused-silica capillaries with an inner diameter of 50 mum and subsequently in situ immobilization of vancomycin as a chiral selector by reductive amination. Enantioselectivity was obtained for eight pairs of enantiomers in nonaqueous polar organic or aqueous mobile phases and most of them were baseline-separated with high column efficiencies. It was observed that the organic modifier ratio (MeOH/ACN) in the polar organic mobile phase played a significant role in controlling the resolution and efficiency of the enantiomers. In enantiomeric separation of propranolol, repeatability for column efficiency and resolution in the nonaqueous mobile phase was given in terms of RSD values at 1.1 and 2.3% (n = 5) for run-to-run injections and 7.2 and 9.6% (n = 5) for column-to-column testing while repeatability for the separation of thalidomide in the aqueous mobile phase was given in terms of RSD values at 1.5, 2.8% and 6.1, 10.5%, respectively.     

High-efficiency peptide analysis on monolithic multimode capillary columns: Pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography/capillary electrophoresis coupled to UV and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry

High-efficiency peptide analysis using multimode pressure-assisted capillary electrochromatography/capillary electrophoresis (pCEC/pCE) monolithic polymeric columns and the separation of model peptide mixtures and protein digests by isocratic and gradient elution under an applied electric field with UV and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) detection is demonstrated. Capillary multipurpose columns were prepared in silanized fused-silica capillaries of 50, 75, and 100 microm inner diameters by thermally induced in situ copolymerization of methacrylic monomers in the presence of n-propanol and formamide as porogens and azobisisobutyronitrile as initiator. N-Ethylbutylamine was used to modify the chromatographic surface of the monolith from neutral to cationic. Monolithic columns were termed as multipurpose or multimode columns because they showed mixed modes of separation mechanisms under different conditions. Anion-exchange separation ability in the liquid chromatography (LC) mode can be determined by the cationic chromatographic surface of the monolith. At acidic pH and high voltage across the column, the monolithic stationary phase provided conditions for predominantly capillary electrophoretic migration of peptides. At basic pH and electric field across the column, enhanced chromatographic retention of peptides on monolithic capillary column made CEC mechanisms of migration responsible for separation. The role of pressure, ionic strength, pH, and organic content of the mobile phase on chromatographic performance was investigated. High efficiencies (exceeding 300 000 plates/m) of the monolithic columns for peptide separations are shown using volatile and nonvolatile, acidic and basic buffers. Good reproducibility and robustness of isocratic and gradient elution pressure-assisted CEC/CE separations were achieved for both UV and ESI-MS detection. Manipulation of the electric field and gradient conditions allowed high-throughput analysis of complex peptide mixtures. A simple design of sheathless electrospray emitter provided effective and robust low dead volume interfacing of monolithic multimode columns with ESI-MS. Gradient elution pressure-assisted mixed-mode separation CE/CEC-ESI-MS mass fingerprinting and data-dependent pCE/pCEC-ESI-MS/MS analysis of a bovine serum albumin (BSA) tryptic digest in less than 5 min yielding high sequence coverage (73%) demonstrated the potential of the method.     

Enantioseparation of Chiral Antimycotic Drugs by HPLC with Polysaccharide-Based Chiral Columns and Polar Organic Mobile Phases with Emphasis on Enantiomer Elution Order

The separation of enantiomers of 10 chiral antimycotic drugs was studied on polysaccharide-based chiral columns with polar organic mobile phases. The emphasis was placed on some interesting examples of enantiomer elution order reversal observed depending on the chemistry of the chiral selector, separation temperature, major component, as well as the minor additive in the mobile phase. In particular, it was found that the elution order of enantiomers of chiral drug terconazole was opposite on cellulose- and amylose-based columns with the same pendant group. The affinity pattern of enantiomers of another chiral drug bifonazole was opposite towards to two amylose-based chiral selectors with different pendant groups. The affinity pattern of terconazole enantiomers also changed on some columns when the alcohol-based mobile phase was replaced with acetonitrile. An interesting effect of the minor acidic (formic acid) additives to the mobile phase on the affinity pattern of terconazole enantiomers was observed on Cellulose-2 and Cellulose-4 columns. In addition, a reversal of elution order of bifonazole enantiomers was observed on Amylose-2 column by variation of a separation temperature.

     

Chiral separation of lipoxygenase metabolites utilizing high-performance liquid chromatography

An isocratic, reversed-phase HPLC assay has been developed for the separation of the enantiomers of four lipoxygenase metabolites, without the need for a derivatization step. Separation of the enantiomers was studied on a polysaccharide type chiral stationary phase column. Upon determination of suitable mobile phase composition, the assay was evaluated at various temperatures. In all cases the R enantiomer eluted before the S enantiomer. The best separations were observed at 0 degrees C.     

Dynamically modified capillary columns for liquid chromatographic separations of biological compounds

Dynamically modified open tubular capillary columns were evaluated for separations of biological and clinical interest. Small diameter, dynamically modified columns were readily prepared by simple addition of cetyltrimethylammonium salts to the mobile phase. Separations similar to those obtained on conventional reversed-phase columns were observed for neutral solutes, and ion-pair reversed-phase separations were observed for charged solutes. Borosilicate and standard flint glasses were evaluated with respect to common etching procedures. A potential clinical application is presented in the separation of antitumor drugs.     

Optimisation of the chlorthalidone chiral separation by capillary electrochromatography using an achiral stationary phase and cyclodextrin in the mobile phase

The separation of chlorthalidone enantiomers in capillary electrochromatography on an achiral stationary phase when adding a chiral selector, hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin, to the mobile phase, was optimised. The goal was to investigate the feasibility of modelling retention times and resolution when during the optimisation procedure regular replacement of columns is required due to their fragility. Therefore, it is essential that the packing procedure delivers reproducible columns. The optimisation of an existing chlorthalidone separation was chosen as case study. The influence of two factors, chiral selector concentration and organic modifier content, on the responses was modelled. The experiments performed prior to modelling were defined by a central composite design. Results on different columns, obtained under identical experimental conditions, were found comparable and thus modelling was possible in situations where several columns were required to complete a design. A second-order polynomial model was built for both responses. Optimal separations were also predicted using Derringer’s desirability functions. The optimum was found at 33 mM cyclodextrin and 16% (v/v) acetonitrile on two types of columns (with different packing times) leading to a strong reduction in analysis time for an equally good separation compared to the initial conditions. Measured and predicted responses were found comparable, indicating that acceptable models were obtained.     

A silica monolithic column prepared by the sol-gel process for enantiomeric separation by capillary electrochromatography

A method for the preparation of a silica monolithic capillary electrochromatography (CEC) column for the separation of enantiomers has been developed. The porous silica monolith was fabricated inside a fused-silica capillary column by using the sol-gel process. After gelation for 24 h, hydrothermal treatment at 100 degrees C for 24 h was performed to prevent the sol-gel matrix from cracking. The prepared monolith was then coated with Chirasil-beta-Dex which represents a chiral polymer prepared by grafting permethyl-beta-cyclodextrin to polymethylsiloxane with an octamethylene spacer. Immobilization of Chirasil-beta-Dex was performed by heat treatment at 120 degrees C for 48 h to give a nonextractable coating. The column performance was evaluated by using racemic hexobarbital as a model compound. The efficiency of 9.2 x 10(4) theoretical plates/m for the first eluted enantiomer of hexobarbital was obtained at an optimal flow rate of the mobile phase. The effect of mobile phase composition on enantiomeric separation of hexobarbital was also investigated. The column proved to be stable for more than one hundreds of runs during a two-months period. The enantiomers of several neutral and negatively charged chiral compounds were baseline separated on this column.     

Enantioseparation of selected chiral sulfoxides in high‐performance liquid chromatography with polysaccharide‐based chiral selectors in polar organic mobile phases with emphasis on enantiomer elution order

The separation of the enantiomers of 17 chiral sulfoxides was studied on polysaccharide‐based chiral columns in polar organic mobile phases. Enantiomer elution order (EEO) was the primary objective in this study. Two of the six chiral columns, especially those based on amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) and cellulose tris(4‐chloro‐3‐methylphenylcarbamate) (Lux Cellulose‐4) proved to be most successful in the separation of the enantiomers of the studied sulfoxides. Interesting examples of EEO reversal were observed depending on the chiral selector or the composition of the mobile phase. For instance, the R‐(+) enantiomer of lansoprazole eluted before the S‐(?) enantiomer on Lux Cellulose‐1 in both methanol or ethanol as the mobile phase, while the elution order was opposite in the same eluents on amylose tris(3,5‐dimethylphenylcarbamate) with the S‐(?) enantiomer eluting before the R‐(+) enantiomer. The R‐(+) enantiomer of omeprazole eluted first on Lux Amylose‐2 in methanol but it was second when acetonitrile was used as the mobile phase with the same chiral selector. Several other examples of reversal in EEO were observed in this study. An interesting example of the separation of four stereoisomers of phenaminophos sulfoxide containing chiral sulfur and phosphor atoms is also reported here.     

Effects of the operation parameters on Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography separation of phenolic acids on zwitterionic monolithic capillary columns

Strongly polar phenolic acids are weakly retained and often poorly separated in reversed-phase (RP) liquid chromatography. We prepared zwitterionic polymethacrylate monolithic columns for micro-HPLC by in situ co-polymerization in fused-silica capillaries. The capillary monolithic columns prepared under optimized polymerization conditions show some similarities with the conventional particulate commercial ZIC-HILIC silica-based columns, however have higher retention and better separation selectivity under reversed-phase conditions, so that they can be employed for dual-mode HILIC-RP separations of phenolic acids on a single column. The capillary polymethacrylate monolithic sulfobetaine columns show excellent thermal stability and improved performance at temperatures 60–80 °C. The effects of the operation conditions on separation were investigated, including the type and the concentration of the organic solvent in the aqueous-organic mobile phase (acetonitrile and methanol), the ionic strength of the acetate buffer and temperature. While the retention in the RP mode decreases at higher temperatures in mobile phases with relatively low concentrations of acetonitrile, it is almost independent of temperature at HILIC conditions in highly organic mobile phases. The best separation efficiency can be achieved using relatively high acetate buffer ionic strength (20–30 mmol L⁻¹) and gradient elution with alternately increasing (HILIC mode) and decreasing (RP mode) concentration of aqueous buffer in aqueous acetonitrile. Applications of the monolithic sulfobetaine capillary columns in alternating HILIC-RP modes are demonstrated on the analysis of phenolic acids in a beer sample.     

Preparation of a positively charged cellulose derivative chiral stationary phase with copolymerization reaction for capillary electrochromatographic separation of enantiomers

A positively charged chiral stationary phase (CSP) was prepared by chemically immobilizing cellulose 3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate onto methacryloyldiethylenetriaminopropylated silica (MCDEAPS) via a radical copolymerization reaction. The prepared CSP was evaluated for enantiomer separation in nonaqueous capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Electroosmotic flow (EOF) generated on the prepared CSP could be significantly improved with introduction of positive charges into the CSP, and separation of enantiomers in CEC has been achieved with mobile phases of ethanol and hexane-ethanol, respectively. In addition, we investigated the solvent versatility of the immobilized CSP on enantioseparations in CEC and capillary liquid chromatography (CLC) due to the elimination of dissolution of chiral selector in a number of solvents. Chiral resolution of some enantiomers was improved by adopting tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform as mobile-phase modifiers, respectively.     

Hypercrosslinking: new approach to porous polymer monolithic capillary columns with large surface area for the highly efficient separation of small molecules

Monolithic polymers with an unprecedented surface area of over 600 m(2)/g have been prepared from a poly(styrene-co-vinylbenzyl chloride-co-divinylbenzene) precursor monolith that was swollen in 1,2-dichloroethane and hypercrosslinked via Friedel-Crafts reaction catalyzed by ferric chloride. Both the composition of the reaction mixture used for the preparation of the precursor monolith and the conditions of the hypercrosslinking reaction have been varied using mathematical design of experiments and the optimized system validated. Hypercrosslinked monolithic capillary columns contain an array of small pores that make the column ideally suited for the high efficiency isocratic separations of small molecules such as uracil and alkylbenzenes with column efficiencies reproducibly exceeding 80,000 plates/m for retained compounds. The separation process could be accelerated while also improving peak shape through the use of higher temperatures and a ternary mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, and water. As a result, seven compounds were well separated in less than 2 min. These columns also facilitate separations of peptide mixtures such as a tryptic digest of cytochrome c using a gradient elution mode which affords a sequence coverage of 93%. A 65 cm long hypercrosslinked capillary column used in size exclusion mode with tetrahydrofuran as the mobile phase afforded almost baseline separation of toluene and five polystyrene standards.