Chiral electrochemical recognition by very thin molecularly imprinted sol-gel films

Thin films with enantioselective properties for electrochemically active chiral probes were developed. Enantioselectivity was accomplished via molecular imprinting. The films were fabricated through the sol-gel technique and were spin-coated on ITO electrodes. The chiral selectivity recognition was detected using two enantiomer pairs: D- and L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (D- and L-dopa) and (R)- and (S)-N,N'-dimethylferrocenylethylamine [(R)-Fc and (S)-Fc]. A defined chiral cavity was obtained by selection of functional monomers that interact with the template molecule, followed by its removal. Chiral selection properties were measured by cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. For both template molecules, very good chiral recognition was revealed by electrochemical measurement. The nonspecific adsorption measured for reference nonimprinted films was negligible (less than 5%). Dopa imprinted films revealed both high sensitivity, by the detection of 1 nM (0.2 ppb) concentration, and excellent selectivity, when challenged with a series of catechol derivatives. Fc-imprinted films were able to detect ca. 2 ppm of the target molecule, with very good enantioselectivity and low nonspecific adsorption. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful molecular imprinting of a ferrocene derivative.     

Use of fluorescence shift and fluorescence anisotropy to evaluate the re-binding of template to (S)-propranolol imprinted polymers

The binding of (R)- and (S)-propranolol to an (S)-propranolol imprinted polymer in organic and aqueous solutions has been studied using fluorescence. The amount of propranolol that binds can be measured by separating non-bound propranolol from the polymer by centrifugation, and measuring the fluorescence intensity. However, this work demonstrates that other measurements can indicate how much propranolol has bound without the need to separate bound and non-bound analyte. In toluene + 0.5% AcOH, and in aqueous buffer (25 mM citrate pH 6 + 0.5% Triton X100) the fluorescence anisotropy increases as the fraction of analyte bound to the polymer increases. In aqueous buffer, binding to the polymer is also accompanied by a change in the relative intensities of fluorescence at 322 nm and at 352 nm. These non-separation techniques have been used to show that the imprinted polymer binds more (S)-propranolol than a non-imprinted polymer, and at least in organic solvent, shows selectivity for (S)- over (R)-propranolol.     

Enantioselective, chirally templated sol-gel thin films

Enantioselective surfactant-templated thin films were fabricated through the sol-gel (SG) process. The enantioselectivity is general in the sense that it discriminates between pairs of enantiomers not used for the imprinting process. The chiral cationic surfactant (-)-N-dodecyl-N-methylephedrinium bromide (1) was used as the surfactant template, and after its extraction chiral domains were created. The chiral discriminative feature of these films was examined by challenging with pure enantiomer solutions for rebinding. Selective adsorption was shown using (R)- and (S)-propranolol, (R)-2 and (S)-2, respectively, and (R)- and (S)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(9-anthryl)ethanol, (R)-3 and (S)-3, respectively, as the chiral probes. The selective adsorption was measured by fluorescence analysis, and the chiral selectivity factors were found to be 1.6 for 2 and 2.25 for 3. In both cases, (R)-enantiomer was adsorbed preferably. The resulting material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy, by diffraction, and by surface area measurements, and was found to be semicrystalline with short-range ordered domains (50 A) of hexagonal symmetry.     

Chiral separation of enantiomeric 1,2-diamines using molecular imprinting method and selectivity enhancement by addition of achiral primary amines into eluents.

The imprinted polymers based on a transient complex formation between methacrylic acid and template molecules were prepared by using methacrylic acid and ethylene dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent. The template molecules used were (R,R)-cyclohexanediamine (1), (S,S)-1,2-diphenylethylenediamine (2) and (S)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine (3). Another group of templates were those in which the amino group of these templates had been substituted by the hydroxy group: (R,R)-1,2-cyclohexanediol (4) and (S,S)-hydrobenzoin (5). Racemic 2 was separated by the polymer prepared with template 2 (P2) and that with template 1 (P1). Template 2 is larger than template 1 in steric bulkiness, but P1 was effective for the enantiomer separation of racemic 2. P1 was not effective for the separation of racemic 4. Enantioselectivity observed in racemic 2 in P2 was higher than that in racemic 1 in P1. P2 has no definite predetermined shape for solute 1, but it was capable of separating racemic 1. This separation should be thus ascribed to the orientation of at least two carbonyl groups reflecting the conformation of template 2 in P2 cavity. Racemic 5, having the same configuration of the two bulky phenyl groups as that of solute 2, was separated in P2. When the primary amines such as propylamine, cyclohexylamine and 1-adamantanamine were added into the acetic acid-methanol mixtures as eluents, both enantioselectivity and retentivity for racemic 2 were enhanced along with the remarkable peak tailing.     

Scaffold membranes for selective adsorption of α-tocopherol by phase inversion covalently imprinting technique

A molecular-imprinted membranes targeted to α-tocopherol (α-Toc) were prepared by phase inversion of polymer containing covalently bound template group to the polymer through ester group. For preparation of such polymer, a template-containing monomer, α-tocopherol methacrylate (α-TMA) was synthesized and copolymerized with acrylonitrile (AN). Phase inversion of the AN copolymer was carried out from the DMSO solution in water non-solvent. After membrane formed, removal of the template was performed in treatment with HCl acid solution. It was observed that the amounts of α-Toc bound to imprinted and non-imprinted membranes in ethanol/water (1:1%, v/v) were 20.8 ± 0.4 and 2.2 ± 0.1 μmol/g, respectively. Scatchard analysis indicated that the imprinted membranes exhibited high affinity and good selective binding of α-Toc relative to its analogs, δ-Toc, and 4-chromanol (4-Chr). Evidences showed that separation was achieved with separation factor of 15.5 for α-Toc/4-Chr in ethanol/water 1:1% (v/v) solution by simple filtration procedure with high flux permeation.     

Determination of enantiomers of atenolol and propranolol in pharmaceutical formulations by HPLC

A validated HPLC-UV method was developed for the determination of R(-), S(+)-atenolol and R(-), S(+)-propranolol in pharmaceutical formulations. The proposed method required no elaborate sample preparation and was found to be selective, linear, and repeatable within the established ranges. Atenolol and propranolol isomers were separated using a Chirex 3022 (S) column with the mobile phases hexane-dichloromethane-methanol-trifluoroacetic acid (35 + 35 + 5 + 0.25, v/v/v/v) and hexane-dichloromethane-ethanol-trifluoroacetic acid (55 + 40 + 5 + 0.25, v/v/v/v), respectively. The LOD values of R(-) and S(+)-atenolol were 12.3 and 9.86 microg/mL, respectively, and 0.61 and 0.89 microg/mL, respectively, for R(-) and S(+)-propranolol. Retention times of R(-)-propranolol and S(+)-propranolol were 12.4 and 14.3 min, respectively, and 29.06 and 32.71 min, respectively, for (R)-atenolol and (S)-atenolol. The proposed method was applied to the determination of enantiomers in pharmaceutical formulations, and no interference from any excipients was found.     

Uniform molecularly imprinted microspheres and nanoparticles prepared by precipitation polymerization: the control of particle size suitable for different analytical applications

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are being increasingly used as selective adsorbents in different analytical applications. To satisfy the different application purposes, MIPs with well controlled physical forms in different size ranges are highly desirable. For examples, MIP nanoparticles are very suitable to be used to develop binding assays and for microfluidic separations, whereas MIP beads with diameter of 1.5-3 μm can be more appropriate to use in new analytical liquid chromatography systems. Previous studies have demonstrated that imprinted microspheres and nanoparticles can be synthesized using a simple precipitation polymerization method. Despite that the synthetic method is straightforward, the final particle size obtained has been difficult to adjust for a given template. In this work, we initiated to study new synthetic conditions to obtain MIP beads with controllable size in the nano- to micro-meter range, using racemic propranolol as a model template. Varying the composition of the cross-linking monomer allowed the particle size of the MIP beads to be altered in the range of 130 nm to 2.4 μm, whereas the favorable binding property of the imprinted beads remained intact. The chiral recognition sites were further characterized with equilibrium binding analysis using tritium-labeled (S)-propranolol as a tracer. In general, the imprinted sites displayed a high chiral selectivity: the apparent affinity of the (S)-imprinted sites for (S)-propranolol was 20 times that of for (R)-propranolol. Compared to previously reported irregular particles, the chiral selectivity of competitive radioligand binding assays developed from the present imprinted beads has been increased by six to seven folds in an optimized aqueous solvent.     

加速溶剂萃取快速洗脱印迹聚合物中的模板分子

通过优化实验条件,选择洗脱温度80℃、加热时间5min、萃取压力10.4MPa、洗脱溶剂为300mL的甲醇/乙酸(90∶10,V/V),静态萃取时间8min、吹扫时间100s,对1.000g尼古丁印迹聚合物中的模板分子进行连续6次的萃取洗脱,洗脱效率达94.2%,模板渗漏量仅为9.8μg/L,萃取时间<70min。将2000mg洗脱后的印迹聚合物颗粒装填于3mL的聚丙烯固相萃取小柱中,用10mL甲醇/乙酸(90∶1,V/V)淋洗小柱,用高效液相色谱检测淋洗液中的尼古丁,获得模板的渗漏量为9.8μg/L。     

A class II aldolase mimic

[structures: see text] A class II aldolase-mimicking synthetic polymer was prepared by the molecular imprinting of a complex of cobalt (II) ion and either (1S,3S,4S)-3-benzoyl-1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one (4a) or (1R,3R,4R)-3-benzoyl-1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one (4b) in a 4-vinylpyridine-styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. Evidence for the formation of interactions between the functional monomer and the template was obtained from NMR and VIS titration studies. The polymers imprinted with the template demonstrated enantioselective recognition of the corresponding template structure, and induced a 55-fold enhancement of the rate of reaction of camphor (1) with benzaldehyde (2), relative to the solution reactions, and were also compared to reactions with a series of reference polymers. Substrate chirality was observed to influence reaction rate, and the reaction could be competitively inhibited by dibenzoylmethane (6). Collectively, the results presented provide the first example of the use of enantioselective molecularly imprinted polymers for the catalysis of carbon-carbon bond formation.     

Enantioselective synthetic thalidomide receptors based upon DNA binding motifs

A series of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) synthetic receptors selective for the sedative thalidomide (5) have been designed and synthesized based upon the functional monomer 9-(2'-methacryloyloxyethyl)adenine (2). (1)H-NMR studies were used to establish the existence of DNA-like binding interactions between 2 and the template (5). A series of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate cross-linked copolymers was synthesized using either 2 or methacrylic acid, or a combination of these functional monomers. Zonal HPLC studies demonstrated enantioselectivity (alpha = 2.11) and ligand selectivity which could be attributed to the interaction of 2 with the imide moiety of 5. Compound 2 provided a more significant contribution to the binding of 5 than methacrylic acid, though a combination of these two functional monomers resulted in improved enantioselectivity. Frontal chromatographic and batch binding studies confirmed the observed differences in affinity of the imprinted and reference polymers for the template.     

A new enzyme model for enantioselective esterases based on molecularly imprinted polymers

An efficient enzyme model exhibiting enantioselective esterase activity was prepared by using molecular imprinting techniques. The enantiomerically pure phosphonic monoesters 4 L and 5 L were synthesized as stable transition-state analogues. They were used as templates connected by stoichiometric noncovalent interactions to two equivalents of the amidinium binding site monomer 1. After polymerization and removal of the template, the polymers were efficient catalysts for the hydrolysis of certain nonactivated amino acid phenylesters (2 L, 2 D, 3 L, 3 D) depending on the template used. Imprinted catalyst IP4 (imprinted with 4 L) enhanced the hydrolysis of the corresponding substrate 2 L by a factor of 325 relative to that of a buffered solution. Relative to a control polymer containing the same functionalities, prepared without template 4 L, the enhancement was still about 80-fold, showing the highest imprinting effect up to now. In cross-selectivity experiments a strong substrate selectivity of higher than three was found despite small differences in the structure of the substrate and template. Plots of initial velocities of the hydrolysis versus substrate concentration showed typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics with saturation behavior. From these curves, the Michaelis constant K(M) and the catalytic constant k(cat) can be calculated. The enantioselectivity shown in these values is most interesting. The ratio of the catalytic efficiency k(cat)/K(M), between the hydrolysis of 2 L- and 2 D-substrate with IP4, is 1.65. This enantioselectivity derives from both selective binding of the substrate (K(M)L/K(M)D=0.82), and from selective formation of the transition state (k(cat)L/k(cat)D=1.36). Thus, these catalysts give good catalysis as well as high imprinting and substrate selectivity. Strong competitive inhibition is caused by the template used in imprinting. This behavior is also quite similar to the behavior of natural enzymes, for which these catalysts are good models.     

Imprinting of chiral molecular recognition sites in thin TiO2 films associated with field-effect transistors: novel functionalized devices for chiroselective and chirospecific analyses

(R)- or (S)-2-Methylferrocene carboxylic acids, (R)-1 or (S)-1, (R)- or (S)-2-phenylbutanoic acid, (R)-2 or (S)-2, and (R)- or (S)-2-propanoic acid, (R)-3 or (S)-3, can be imprinted in thin TiO2 films on the gate surface of ion-sensitive field-effect transistor (ISFET) devices. The imprinting is performed by hydrolyzing the respective carboxylate TiIV butoxide complex on the gate surface, followed by washing off the acid from the resulting TiO2 film. The imprinted sites reveal chiroselectivity only towards the sensing of the imprinted enantiomer. The chiral recognition sites reveal not only chiroselectivity but also chirospecificity and, for example, the (R)-2-imprinted film is active in the sensing of (R)-2, but insensitive towards the sensing of (R)2-phenylpropanoic acid, (R)-3, which exhibits a similar chirality. Similarly, the (R)-3-imprinted film is inactive in the analysis of (R)-2. The chiroselectivity and chirospecificity of the resulting imprinted films are attributed to the need to align and fit the respective substrates in precise molecular contours generated in the cross-linked TiO2 films upon the imprinting process.     

Preparation of chitosan‐based molecularly imprinted material for enantioseparation of racemic mandelic acid in aqueous medium by solid phase extraction

An S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin was synthesized by cross‐linking chitosan with glutaraldehyde in 2% acetic acid solution. S‐Mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin was used to enantioselectively separate racemic mandelic acid in aqueous medium. When keeping the pH of sample solution (100 mM Tris‐H₃PO₄) at 3.5 and adsorption time at 40 min, the enantiomer excess of mandelic acid in supernatant was 78.8%. The adsorption capacities of S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin for S‐ and R‐mandelic acid were determined to be 29.5 and 2.03 mg/g, respectively. While the adsorption capacities of non‐imprinted cross‐linked chitosan for S‐ and R‐mandelic acid were 2.10 and 2.08 mg/g, respectively. The result suggests that the imprinted caves in S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin are highly matched with S‐mandelic acid molecule in space structure and spatial arrangement of action sites. Interestingly, the enantiomer excess value of mandelic acid in supernatant after adsorption of racemic mandelic acid by R‐mandelic acid imprinted cross‐linked chitosan was 25.4%. The higher enantiomer excess value by S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin suggests that the chiral carbons in chitosan and the imprinted caves in S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin combine to play roles for the enantioselectivity of S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin toward S‐mandelic acid. Furthermore, the excellent enantioselectivity of S‐mandelic acid imprinted chitosan resin toward S‐mandelic acid demonstrates that using chiral chitosan as functional monomer to prepare molecularly imprinted polymers has great potential in enantioseparation of chiral pharmaceuticals.     

Preparation of surface molecularly imprinted Ru-complex catalysts for asymmetric transfer hydrogenation in water media

Molecularly imprinted Ru-complex catalysts acting in water were prepared on a SiO(2) surface by molecular imprinting of a SiO(2)-supported Ru-complex using organic polymers as surface matrix overlayers. (R)-1-(o-fluorophenyl)ethanol, which is one of the hydrogenated products of o-fluoroacetophenone, was imprinted on the supported Ru-complex as a template, and an active Ru-complex with a shape-selective reaction space (molecularly imprinted cavity) was prepared inside the wall of the hydrophobic organic polymer matrix overlayers. Structures of the SiO(2)-supported and molecularly imprinted Ru catalysts were characterized by means of solid-state NMR, XPS, XRF, ICP, UV/vis, XAFS, TGA, and SEM. The molecularly imprinted Ru catalysts exhibited fine shape selectivity and enantioselectivity for the asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of o-fluoroacetophenone and its derivatives.     

手性药物(S)-布洛芬氢键自组装印迹聚合物识别机理

以含有单一结合基团的手性药物(S)-布洛芬作为模板分子,制备了系列印迹聚合物.采用紫外-可见光谱和红外光谱对印迹及识别机理进行了研究.结果表明,模板分子与功能单体分别通过形成蓝移氢键和红移氢键完成预组装过程和再识别吸附过程,且形成了主客体配比为1∶1的配合物.等温吸附实验结果表明,印迹聚合物对模板分子表现出明显的选择性吸附,特异性吸附容量为37.92μmol/g,印迹指数为3.06,且印迹聚合物内特定的三维空间结构对其特异性吸附性能具有显著影响.由手性分离实验考察了印迹聚合物的拆分性能,其对(R)-布洛芬的分离因子为1.79.     

Enantioselective Artificial Receptors Formed by the Spreader‐Bar Technique

Chiroselective binding sites have been created on thin gold films by application of the spreader‐bar approach. Impedometric techniques and surface plasmon resonance were applied to detect binding. (R)‐(+)‐1,1′‐Binaphthyl‐2,2′‐diol (R‐BNOH) and (S)‐(?)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl‐2,2′‐diol (S‐BNOH) were used as model analytes. The artificial receptors were prepared by co‐adsorption of 16‐mercaptohexadecane (matrix) with a thiol‐modified chiral selector (template). The conjugates of D ,L ‐thioctic acid and (R)‐(+)‐ or (S)‐(?)‐1,1′‐binaphthyl‐2,2′‐diamine were used as templates. Different concentration ratios of the matrix and template were tested. No chiral selectivity of surfaces formed by either the matrix or the template alone was observed. The use of alkylthiols shorter than 16‐mercaptohexadecane led to the formation of surfaces with no chiral selectivity. The gold electrodes coated by the spreader‐bar technique displayed an enantioselectivity of up to 4.76 or up to 2.55 as measured by the capacitive and SPR methods, respectively.     

Molecularly imprinted polystyrene–titania hybrids with both ionic and π–π interactions: a case study with pyrenebutyric acid

We present hybrid films consisting of a composite prepared from polystyrene (PS) and titanium dioxide (titania; TiO₂) and molecularly imprinted with 1-pyrenebutyric acid (PBA). The interaction of PBA with the polymer is shown to occur via binding of the carboxylic group to TiO₂ and hydrophobic interaction of the pyrene moiety with the PS network. We investigated the effects of the PS fraction on morphology, imprinting properties, and guest binding. The template could be completely removed by incubating the films in an acetonitrile solution of pyrene, which is due to the stronger π–π interaction between PBA and pyrene than the interaction between PBA and its binding site. A guest binding study with pyrene, 1-aminopyrene, pyrenemethanol, and anthracene-9-carboxylic acid showed that the hybrid films possessed selectivity and much higher binding capacity for PBA. This study demonstrates the first case of clear PS-assisted imprinting, where the π–π interaction of the template with a linear (non-crosslinked) polymer creates selective binding sites and enhances the binding capacity. This is a driving force for guest binding in addition to the interaction of the template/analyte with TiO₂. All molecularly imprinted films displayed better binding, repeatability and reversibility compared to the respective non-imprinted films.

Illustration of the fabricated polystyrene/titania hybrids imprinted with 1-pyrenebutyric acid providing the interaction between the organic and inorganic components through the pyrene and carboxylic moieties

     

Asymmetric hydrolytic kinetic resolution with recyclable macrocyclic Co(III)-salen complexes: a practical strategy in the preparation of (R)-mexiletine and (S)-propranolol

A chiral cobalt(III) complex (1e) was synthesized by the interaction of cobalt(II) acetate and ferrocenium hexafluorophosphate with a chiral dinuclear macrocyclic salen ligand that was derived from 1R,2R-(-)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane with trigol bis-aldehyde. A variety of epoxides and glycidyl ethers were suitable substrates for the reaction with water in the presence of chiral macrocyclic salen complex 1e at room temperature to afford chiral epoxides and diols by hydrolytic kinetic resolution (HKR). Excellent yields (47% with respect to the epoxides, 53% with respect to the diols) and high enantioselectivity (ee>99% for the epoxides, up to 96% for the diols) were achieved in 2.5-16 h. The Co(III) macrocyclic salen complex (1e) maintained its performance on a multigram scale and was expediently recycled a number of times. We further extended our study of chiral epoxides that were synthesized by using HKR to the synthesis of chiral drug molecules (R)-mexiletine and (S)-propranolol.     

Surface-imprinted nanostructured layer-by-layer film for molecular recognition of theophylline derivatives

In this article we report the introduction of the cooperativity of various specific interactions combined with photo-cross-linking of the interlayers to yield binding sites that can realize better selectivity and imprinting efficiency of a surface molecularly imprinted LbL film (SMILbL), thus providing a new approach toward fabrication of nanostructured molecularly imprinted thin films. It involves preassembly of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) conjugated of the theophylline residue template via a disulfide bridge, denoted as PAAtheo 15, in solution, and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of PAAtheo 15 and a positively charged photoreactive diazo resin (DAR) to form multilayer thin film with designed architecture. After photo-cross-linking of the film and template removal, binding sites specific to 7-(beta-hydroxyethyl)theophylline (Theo-ol) molecules are introduced within the film. Binding assay demonstrates that the SMILbL has a high selectivity of SMILbL to Theo-ol over caffeine. A control experiment demonstrates that the selectivity of SMILbL derives from nanostructured recognition sites among the layers. The imprinting amount per unit mass of the film can be 1 order of magnitude larger than that of the conventional bulk molecular imprinting systems. As this concept of construction SMILbL can be easily extended to the other molecules by the following similar protocol: its applications in building many other different molecular recognition systems are greatly anticipated.     

Synthesis and application of molecularly imprinted polymer on selective solid-phase extraction for the determination of monosulfuron residue in soil

A novel sample clean-up procedure using molecularly imprinted polymer as the solid-phase extraction material for the determination of monosulfuron residue in soil samples has been developed. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) was synthesized by non-covalent method with monosulfuron as the template. The selectivity and affinity of the MIP was evaluated by equilibrium adsorption and HPLC experiments, which demonstrated that the MIP has specific affinity for the template. The template-MIP interaction was studied by investigating the influence of different mobile phases on the retention of the template, which provided basic knowledge for the selection of the washing and elution solutions in the molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) process. The study indicated that polar organic solvents with hydrogen bonding abilities have stronger eluting strength for the monosulfuron. After the MISPE procedure, a clean baseline was obtained in the HPLC quantification analysis. The recoveries of the method using the combination of MISPE and HPLC were above 93% and the R.S.D. was less than 3.2% in the soil sample determinations. Low detection limit (0.08 microg g(-1), when defined as 3 times of the noise) was also obtained in the method evaluation study.