Assay of four stereoisomers of desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride. Application toin vitro chiral inversion studies

Summary Direct resolution of four stereoisomers of the related compound of diltiazem hydrochloride, namely desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride, was studied by both normal and reversed-phase chiral HPLC. The four stereoisomers were completely resolved on a Chiralcel OF column. The technique developed was applied to a chiral inversion study of desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride. This inversion was observed neither in the solid state, in aqueous solution at 100°C for 3 h nor under visible light for 10h, but was observed in aqueous solution under UV irradiation.The (+)-(2S, 3S)-cis-desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride degraded with a half-life of 1.9 h in aqueous solution under UV and epimerized to (+)-(2R, 3S)-trans-desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride. Similarly, (+)-(2S, 3S)-cis-desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride degraded about three times faster than diltiazem hydrochloride. Reverse epimerization of (+)-(2R, 3S)-trans-desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride to (+)-(2S, 3S)-cis-desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride was not observed.The overall degradation was the result of two competitive processes, the epimerization and the decomposition of the benzothiazepin ring. The degradation and epimerization rate of (+)-(2S, 3S)-cis-desacetyl diltiazem hydrochloride in solution under UV depended upon the solvent, the aqueous pH, and concentration.