Effect of hydrophobic chain length of the chiral surfactant on enantiomeric separations by electrokinetic chromatography: Comparison between micellar and vesicular pseudo-stationary phases

Two novel amino acid based surfactants sodium N-(4-n-decyloxybenzoyl)-l-valinate (SDeBV) and sodium N-(4-n-octyloxybenzoyl)-l-valinate (SOBV) have been synthesized and used as chiral selectors for enantiomeric separations by micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC). The aggregation behavior of the surfactants was studied in buffered aqueous solution using surface tension and fluorescence probe techniques. The microenvironment of the aggregates was studied using pyrene, and 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) as probe molecules. Results of these studies indicate that these two surfactants form micelles in buffered aqueous solution. Successful enentioseparation has been achieved for 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (BOH), 1,1′-binaphthyl-2,2′-diylhydrogenphosphate (BNP), 2,8-dimethyl-6H-5,11-methanodibenzob,f] 1,5]diazocine (Tröger's base, TB), and benzoin (BZN) using the two chiral selectors SDeBV and SOBV. The separations were optimized with respect to surfactant concentration, pH, and buffer concentration. The results are discussed in light of the aggregation behavior of the surfactants. A comparison of the results of this study has been made with the data from literature to investigate the effect of self-assembly morphology on enantiomeric separations.