Implementation of an automated on-line high-performance liquid chromatography monitoring system for ‘cycle to cycle’ control of simulated moving beds

In continuous chromatography simulated moving bed (SMB) is a firmly established powerful technique for the separation of fine chemicals and enantiomers. The use of a controller could improve the operation conditions and increase the productivity of an SMB unit. However, the performance of any controller is greatly affected by the reliability and the quality of the feedback information from the plant. Therefore, to overcome the limitations of optical detectors, such as UV and polarimeter, an automated on-line HPLC monitoring system was developed and installed to monitor the product streams. The performance of the system is tested experimentally separating a mixture of guaifenesin enantiomers on Chiralcel OD columns with ethanol as mobile phase in our laboratory SMB unit under both linear and nonlinear chromatographic conditions. The results show that the new monitoring system provides precise and accurate data about the concentration of the components in the two product streams. Moreover, they prove that despite disturbances a combination of the controller and the new on-line monitoring system allows to fulfill the product specifications and to improve the performance of the process in terms of feed throughput and solvent consumption.     

The hybrid experimental simplex algorithm – An alternative method for ‘sweet spot’ identification in early bioprocess development: Case studies in ion exchange chromatography

The capacity to locate efficiently a subset of experimental conditions necessary for the identification of an operating envelope is a key objective in many studies. We have shown previously how this can be performed by using the simplex algorithm and this paper now extends the approach by augmenting the established simplex method to form a novel hybrid experimental simplex algorithm (HESA) for identifying ‘sweet spots’ during scouting development studies. The paper describes the new algorithm and illustrates its use in two bioprocessing case studies conducted in a 96-well filter plate format. The first investigates the effect of pH and salt concentration on the binding of green fluorescent protein, isolated from Escherichia coli homogenate, to a weak anion exchange resin and the second examines the impact of salt concentration, pH and initial feed concentration upon the binding capacities of a FAb′, isolated from E. coli lysate, to a strong cation exchange resin. Compared with the established algorithm, HESA was better at delivering valuable information regarding the size, shape and location of operating ‘sweet spots’ that could then be further investigated and optimized with follow up studies. To test how favorably these features of HESA compared with conventional DoE (design of experiments) methods, HESA results were also compared with approaches including response surface modeling experimental designs. The results show that HESA can return ‘sweet spots’ that are equivalently or better defined than those obtained from DoE approaches. At the same time the deployment of HESA to identify bioprocess-relevant operating boundaries was accompanied by comparable experimental costs to those of DoE methods. HESA is therefore a viable and valuable alternative route for identifying ‘sweet spots’ during scouting studies in bioprocess development.     

Optimizing control of simulated moving bed separations of mixtures subject to the generalized Langmuir isotherm

Simulated moving bed (SMB) is a cost-efficient separation technique that offers high productivity and low solvent consumption. SMB has gained importance in the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industry to perform complex separation tasks. However, an open and challenging problem is the optimal, robust operation of the SMB process. We have developed a control scheme that integrates the optimization and control of the SMB unit. A significant feature of the controller is that only minimal information of the system has to be provided, i.e. the linear adsorption behavior of the mixture to be separated and the average void fraction of the columns. Therefore, a full characterization of the adsorption behavior of the mixture and the columns is no longer required. In this ‘cycle to cycle’ control scheme, the measurements, optimization and control actions are performed once in every cycle. This paper presents simulation results of the control scheme applied to the separation of binary mixtures characterized by generalized Langmuir isotherms. The results are presented and analyzed in the frame of the triangle theory that has been recently extended to encompass these types of isotherms. Besides, online optimum performance of the SMB unit is compared with off-line optimization carried out using genetic algorithm. The results show that the controller fulfills the product and process specifications while operating the SMB unit optimally, regardless of the different types of Langmuir isotherms that the systems exhibit.     

Facile and highly efficient method for the C-alkylation of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to nitroalkenes under catalyst-free ‘on water’ conditions

C-Alkylation of 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone to various nitroolefins was achieved under catalyst-free employing ‘on water’ conditions. The mechanism for the formation can be explained on the basis of dual activation of nitroalkene and 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinones via hydrogen bonding. Simple reaction conditions, high yields of the products, and environmentally benign medium are attractive features of this method.     

2-Oxo-2-polyfluoroalkylethane-1-sulfones and -sulfamides in the Biginelli and ‘retro-Biginelli’ reactions

2-Oxo-2-polyfluoroalkylethane-1-sulfones and -sulfamides react with aryl aldehydes and urea under Biginelli reaction conditions to yield 4-hydroxy-4-polyfluoroalkyl-5-sulfonyl-6-aryl-tetrahydropyrimidinones. The latter compounds on reaction with hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA) under thermal conditions undergo ‘retro-Biginelli’ reaction involving replacement of the 6-aryl substituent of the pyrimidinone cycle with a hydrogen atom donated by HMTA. Hexamethylenetetramine was employed for the first time in place of formaldehyde in the reported one-step Biginelli protocol for the synthesis of fluorinated sulfonyl-containing 6-unsubstituted tetrahydropyrimidinones.     

Kinetic study of the oxidative addition of methyl iodide to Vaska’s complex in ionic liquids

Oxidative addition of methyl iodide to Vaska’s complex in the ionic liquids 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium triflate [C₄mim][OTf], [C₄mim] bis(trifluormethylsulfonyl)imide [Tf₂N], and N-hexylpyridinium [C₆pyr][Tf₂N] occurred cleanly to give the expected Ir(III) oxidative addition product. Pseudo-first order rate constants were determined for the oxidative addition reaction in each solvent ([Vaska’s] = 0.25 mM, [CH₃I] = 37.5 mM). The observed rate constants under these conditions were 5-10 times slower than the rate seen in DMF. At high methyl iodide concentrations (>23 mM), the expected first order dependence on methyl iodide was not observed. In each ionic liquid, there was no change in the reaction rates within experimental error over the methyl iodide concentration range of 23-75 mM. At lower methyl iodide concentration, a decrease in rate was observed in [C₄mim][Tf₂N] with decreasing concentration of methyl iodide.     

Adsorptive refolding of a highly disulfide-bonded inclusion body protein using anion-exchange chromatography

α-Fetoprotein (AFP) is a prospective biopharmaceutical candidate currently undergoing advanced-stage clinical trials for autoimmune indications. The high AFP expression yields in the form of inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli renders the inclusion body route potentially advantageous for process scale commercial manufacture, if high-throughput refolding can be achieved. This study reports the successful development of an ‘anion-exchange chromatography’-based refolding process for recombinant human AFP (rhAFP), which carries the challenges of contaminant spectrum and molecule complexity. rhAFP was readily refolded on-column at rhAFP concentrations unachievable with dilution refolding due to viscosity and solubility constraints. DEAE-FF functioned as a refolding enhancer to achieve rhAFP refolding yield of 28% and product purity of 95% in 3 h, at 1 mg/ml protein refolding concentration. Optimization of both refolding and chromatography column operation parameters (i.e. resin chemistry, column geometry, redox potential and feed conditioning) significantly improved rhAFP refolding efficiency. Compared to dilution refolding, on-column rhAFP refolding productivity was 9-fold higher, while that of off-column refolding was more than an order of magnitude higher. Successful demonstration that a simple anion-exchange column can, in a single step, readily refold and purify semi-crude rhAFP comprising 16 disulfide bonds, will certainly extend the application of column refolding to a myriad of complex industrial inclusion body proteins.     

A study of Heck cyclization reactions to form phenanthridine ring systems

A survey of conditions for the palladium catalyzed intramolecular Heck cyclization of protected amines has shown that the Herrmann-Beller palladacycle can be exploited under ‘cationic’ conditions to provide a robust and rapid route (<2 h) to the synthesis of single double bond isomer phenanthridines in excellent yield (76-99%). In addition, the same cyclization can be performed under ‘neutral’ conditions to provide phenanthridines with a double bond isomer profile suitable for exploitation in diversity-based applications. We have also shown that the highly reactive (^tBu₃P)₂Pd catalyst can induce cyclization at low temperatures (≤50 °C), giving similar results to the ‘neutral’ conditions, and offering an alternative pathway for sensitive substrates.     

Persistent carbocations from 4,4′-dimethylaminodiphenylethylenes within CaY zeolite: intrazeolite-water controls the structure of the carbocation

Inclusion of 4,4′-dimethylaminodiphenylethylene and related olefins within activated CaY results in the formation of persistent monomer carbocations. The structure of the cation, consequently the color of the zeolite, is controlled by water molecules present within zeolites. Under ‘dry’ conditions the zeolite is light yellow and under ‘wet’ conditions it is blue colored. Blue color results from the quininoidal structure adopted by 1,1-bis-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)ethyl cation through participation of the lone pair electrons present on the amino substituent at the para position.     

Elevated viscosities in a simulated moving bed for γ‐aminobutyric acid recovery

Process streams of agro‐food industries are often large and viscous. In order to fractionate such a stream the viscosity can be reduced by either a high temperature or dilution, the former is not an option in case of temperature sensitive components. Such streams are diluted prior to chromatographic fractionation, resulting in even larger volumes and high energy costs for sub‐sequential water removal. The influence of feed viscosity on the performance of simulated moving bed chromatography has been investigated in a case study of the recovery of a γ‐aminobutyric acid rich fraction from tomato serum. This work addresses the chromatographic system design, evaluates results from a pilot scale operation, and uses these to calculate the productivity and water use at elevated feed concentration. At the two higher feed viscosities (2.5 and 4 mPa·s) water use is lower and productivity higher, compared to the lowest feed viscosity (1 mPa·s). The behavior of the sugars for different feed viscosities can be described well by the model using the ratio of feed to eluent as dilution factor. The behavior of γ‐aminobutyric acid is highly concentration dependent and the recovery could not be accurately predicted.     

Enantioselective total synthesis of polyoxygenated cyclohexanoids: (+)-streptol, ent-RKTS-33 and putative ‘(+)-parasitenone’. Identity of parasitenone with (+)-epoxydon

Short, simple and enantioselective syntheses of the natural product (+)-streptol, the non-peptide apoptosis inhibitor ent-RKTS-33 and the putative structure of ‘parasitenone’ have been accomplished from the readily available chiral building block. ‘Parasitenone’ has been shown to be identical with the known natural product epoxydon.     

Experimental implementation of automatic 'cycle to cycle' control of a chiral simulated moving bed separation

In the absence of a suitable controller, currently simulated moving beds (SMBs) are operated suboptimally to cope with system uncertainties and to guarantee robustness of operation. Recently, we have developed a 'cycle to cycle' optimizing controller that not only makes use of minimal system information, i.e. only the Henry constants and average bed voidage, but also optimizes the process performance and taps the full economic potential of the SMB technology. The experimental implementation of the 'cycle to cycle' optimizing controller had been carried out for achiral separation. For chiral separation however, application of any online controller has not been possible because an appropriate online monitoring system has not been available. This work reports and discusses the first experimental implementation of the 'cycle to cycle' optimizing control for chiral separations. A mixture of guaifenesin enantiomers is separated on Chiralcel OD columns with ethanol as mobile phase in a eight-column four sections laboratory SMB unit. The results show that the controller, although using minimal information about the retention of the two enantiomers, is able to meet product and process specifications, can optimize the process performance, and is capable of rejecting disturbances that may occur during the operation of the SMB plant.     

Triazole-linked dendro[60]fullerenes: modular synthesis via a ‘click’ reaction and acidity-dependent self-assembly on the surface

A series of Fréchet-type dendron functionalized [60]fullerene derivatives that bear a 1,2,3-triazole linkage group, referred to as triazole-linked dendro[60]fullerenes, were prepared via a modular synthetic protocol based on a Cu-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition (‘click’) reaction. Electronic properties of these dendro[60]fullerenes were investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Interfacial supramolecular self-assembly behavior of these dendro[60]fullerenes was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The resulting self-assemblies showed different nanoscale packing geometries and morphologies on the surface, which are controllable by parameters such as the generation of dendron, the nature of peripheral functionalities, and the experimental conditions (e.g., acidity) applied. Correlations between molecular structure and self-assembling outcome were surveyed and discussed. The results of this study suggest a new avenue to gain better ‘bottom-up’ control over the self-assembly of dendrimer-fullerene hybrid materials in terms of shape and size.     

H-quadrupolar coupling-based analysis of stereochemical and regiochemical memory in the Pd-catalysed allylic alkylation of iso-cinnamyl type substrates employing the chiral monophosphine ligands ‘MOP’ and ‘MAP’

The reaction of iso-cinnamyl acetate with NaC(Me)(CO₂Me)₂, catalysed by Pd-‘MOP’ (MOP=2-methoxy-2′-diphenylphosphino-1,1′-binaphthalene) is known to proceed with a regiochemical memory effect that results in the predominant generation of the branched alkylation product. The analogous reaction employing ‘MAP’ as ligand (MAP=2-N,N-dimethylamino-2′-diphenylphosphino-1,1′-binaphthalene) proceeds with ‘normal’ regioselectivity to generate predominantly the linear isomer of product. A ²H-NMR based analysis, employing quadrupolar coupling in a chiral liquid crystal matrix, has been developed to facilitate the simultaneous study of the regiochemical and stereochemical outcome of the reaction of both enantiomers of iso-cinnamyl ester substrates in ²H-labelled but racemic samples. The analysis allows the comparison of relative rates of two competing isomerisation processes occurring in the π-allyl intermediates in the Pd-catalysed reaction, one of which facilitates asymmetric induction, the other resulting in loss of regiochemical memory. It is demonstrated that the two processes are partially coupled and that this then limits the attainment of high global enantiomeric excess in the branched product to reactions that proceed with low regiochemical retention. A key factor for the observation of high regiochemical memory is found to be the nucleophilicity of the malonate anion and the electrophilicity of the Pd-π-allyl intermediate with reduction in the reactivity of either partner resulting in the onset of substantial loss of memory.     

Ethynylation of pyrroles with 1-acyl-2-bromoacetylenes on alumina: a formal ‘inverse Sonogashira coupling’

Pyrroles are cross-coupled with 1-acyl-2-bromoacetylenes on the surface of Al₂O₃ at room temperature under solvent-free conditions to afford 2-(acylethynyl)pyrroles with 100% regioselectivity and in good yields, thus representing the first example of a palladium-, copper-, base-, and solvent-free (‘green’) ethynylation of pyrroles, which can be considered a formal ‘inverse Sonogashira coupling’. Given the interest in functionalized pyrroles and acetylenes, this new facile and environmentally friendly cross-coupling should be of significant interest for the role of acylhaloacetylenes in pyrrole and acetylene chemistry.     

‘One-flask’ synthesis to 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles from aldehydes with hydrazonoyl hydrochlorides via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition

A new ‘one-flask’ synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles has successfully been developed to synthesize a series of 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles. The transformation involves the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of hydrazonoyl hydrochlorides with oxime intermediates prepared from aldehydes with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in the presence of excess amount of triethylamine. In this ‘one-flask’ 1,3-dipolar reaction, hydrazonoyl hydrochlorides was concerned as the masked 1,3-dipole nitrilimine under basic condition. Furthermore, this newly developed methodology can be applied to various aldehyde substrates including aliphatic, cyclic aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic aldehydes.     

Adsorptive separation by thermal parametric pumping part II: Experimental study of the purification of aqueous phenolic solutions at pilot scale

In this work scale-up concerns in adsorptive parametric pumping operation in recuperative mode are studied. An experimental study of the purification of wastewater containing 100 ppm of phenol using a polymeric adsorbent (Duolite ES861-Rohm and Haas, France) is reported. A completely automated pilot plant (column and ancillary equipment, product receivers, sampling, collector and analytical devices) is described. The plant is computer controlled enabling automatic data acquisition for temperature, pressure and flowrate. Parameters related with adsorption equilibrium, mass transfer and heat transfer resistances were determined in order to obtain basic information to simulate the process behavior. Continuous and semicontinuous top feed parametric pumping experiments were carried out in a bed with 0.09 m diameter and 1 m long which represents a scale-up by a factor of 60 relative to previous works. Optimal operating conditions yielding the maximum productivity of the bottom product (phenol concentration <1 ppm), were achieved experimentally with the following conditions: average cycle time =4 h, ratioφ _B /φ _T =2 (φ _B =0.27), reservoir volumeQ(π/ω)=32.5l, average flowrate=0.24l/min. Based on these conditions, after 12 cycles of operation, 105l of treated water is obtained. Those optimal operating conditions were suggested by simulation studies presented in Part I (Ferreira and Rodrigues, 1995) of this work. Good agreement was obtained between experimental and simulated results using the complete model developed in Part I (Ferreira and Rodrigues, 1995).     

On the stereostructures of (+)-eupenoxide and (−)-3′,4′-dihydrophomoxide: a caveat on the spectral comparisons of oxygenated cyclohexenoids

The structural ambiguity surrounding the structure of eupenoxide has been clarified and the absolute configuration of this natural product has been assigned. It is firmly established that ‘eupenoxide’ recently reported by Liu et al. is in fact a new natural product, (−)-3′,4′-dihydrophomoxide. The NMR spectra of these polyoxygenated cyclohexenoids exhibit subtle solvent, concentration, and temperature dependent variations, and due caution should be exercised when making spectral comparisons for structural assignments.     

Three component, regioselective, one-pot synthesis of β-hydroxytriazoles from epoxides via ‘click reactions’

2-Azidoalcohols derived in situ from epoxides and sodium azide undergo smooth coupling with alkynes under neutral conditions by means of ‘click reactions’ to furnish β-hydroxytriazoles in excellent yields and with high regioselectivity. This reaction proceeds smoothly in water at room temperature without the need for acid catalysis.     

Synthesis, evaluation and incorporation into liposomes of 4-functionalised-2,5-diphenyloxazole derivatives for application in scintillation proximity assays

The preparation of a series of 4-functionalised-2,5-diphenyloxazoles is described. The scintillating efficiency of each of these ‘scintilipid’ molecules has been evaluated in the presence of ionising radiation. Each ‘scintilipid’ has been assessed for the ability to assemble, with other lipids, into liposomes, under a variety of preparative conditions. Each liposomal preparation has been monitored for the ability to scintillate in the presence of ionising radiation. The optimal ‘scintilipid’, both in terms of effective liposomal formation and scintillation efficiency, has been determined.