Chiral analytical separation

Traditionally, chiral separations have been considered among the most difficult of all separations. Conventional separation techniques, such as distillation, Hquid—Hquid extraction, or even some forms of chromatography, are usually based on differences in analyte solubiUties or vapor pressures. However, in an achiral environment, enantiomers or optical isomers have identical physical and chemical properties. The general approach, then, is to create a "chiral environment" to achieve the desired chiral separation and requires chiral analyte—chiral selector interactions with more specificity than is obtainable with conventional techniques. 

Another important issue that must be considered in the development of CSPs for preparative separations is the solubility of enantiomers in the mobile phase. For example, the mixtures of hexane and polar solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate, and 2-propanol typically used for normal-phase HPLC may not dissolve enough compound to overload the column. Since the selectivity of chiral recognition is strongly mobile phase-dependent, the development and optimization of the selector must be carried out in such a solvent that is well suited for the analytes. In contrast to analytical separations, separations on process scale do not require selectivity for a broad variety of racemates, since the unit often separates only a unique mixture of enantiomers. Therefore, a very high key-and-lock type selectivity, well known in the recognition of biosystems, would be most advantageous for the separation of a specific pair of enantiomers in large-scale production. 

CE is generally more suited to analytical separations than to preparative-scale separations. However, given the success of CE methods for chiral separations, it seems reasonable to explore the utility of preparative electrophoretic methods to chiral separations. Thus, the purpose of this work is to highlight some of the developments in the application of preparative electrophoresis to chiral separations. Both batch and continuous processes will be examined. 

Achiral-chiral LC-LC is most often used to separate the desired analyte from interfering components, such as matrix components, metabolites, excess derivatiza-tion reagent, or other impurities. Separating such interferents from the analyte allows for better analyte quantification or enantiomeric ratio determination. Also, achiral columns are seen as a way to protect the more expensive chiral columns from matrix components that might become irreversibly retained and deteriorate column performance. Short achiral columns (trap columns) are sometimes used to reconcentrate the chiral analyte after a previous separation (either chiral or achiral) as a type of online enrichment. Configurations that combine an achiral column for increased selectivity and trap column(s) for online enrichment are relatively common, though this type of configuration requires more columns and increases complexity. 

Many times an analyte must be derivatized to improve detection. When this derivatization takes place is incredibly important, especially in regards to chiral separations. Papers cited in this chapter employ both precolumn and postcolumn derivatization. Since postcolumn derivatization takes place after the enantiomeric separation it does not change the way the analyte separates on the chiral stationary phase. This prevents the need for development of a new chiral separation method for the derivatized analyte. A chiral analyte that has been derivatized before the enantiomeric separation may not interact with the chiral stationary phase in the same manner as the underivatized analyte. This change in interactions can cause a decrease or increase in the enantioselectivity. A decrease in enantioselectivity can result when precolumn derivatization modifies the same functional groups that contribute to enantioselectivity. For example, chiral crown ethers can no longer separate amino acids that have a derivatized amine group because the protonated primary amine is... 

Achiral-chiral multidimensional chromatography remains one of the best ways to separate chiral analytes from interfering matrix components or other compounds. The flexibility offered by different operation modes, stationary and mobile phases, and configurations allows analysis methods to be tailored to the analytical problem. By offering possible configurations for both online sample cleanup and concentration, achiral/chiral LC/LC reduces manual sample preparation. The ability to be coupled to... 

ODS columns (250 X 4.6 mm i.d. 250 X 22 mm i.d.). The isocratic mobile phase for the analytical separation consisted of 0.05 M ammonium citrate (pH = 2.5) containing 10 per cent ACN. Preparative separation was performed with 0.4 M formic acid-methanol (6 4, v.v) as the mobile phase. Enantiomers wre measured in a chiral phase column ((R)-3,5-dini-trobenzoylphenylglycinepropylsilyl) (250 X 4.6 mm i.d. particle size 5 //m). Mixtures of 0.5 per cent formic acid and 2-propanol were employed for the separation of the various isomers [336], The good separation capacity of the method is illustrated in Fig. 2.164. 

The separation mechanism is based on stereoselective ion-pair formation of oppositely charged cationic selector and anionic solutes, which leads to a difference of net migration velocities of the both enantiomers in the electric field. Thus, the basic cinchona alkaloid derivative is added as chiral counterion to the BGE. Under the chosen acidic conditions of the BGE, the positively charged counterion associates with the acidic chiral analytes usually with 1 1 stoichiometry to form electrically neutral ion-pairs, which do not show self-electrophoretic mobility but... 

CSPs possessing charged functional groups act as ion-exchangers if the chiral analyte to be separated possesses oppositely charged functional... 

In the reversed-phase mode, mixtures of aqueous buffer and acetonitrile are commonly used as mobile phase. Other modifiers are possible, but as shown in Figure 6, acetonitrile often produces the best separations and peak shapes. Several studies have shown the fundamental importance of keeping the chiral analytes neutral when working with polysaccharide stationary phases in the reversed-phase mode. ° ° Therefore, acidic compounds are preferably analyzed at low pFI while basic compounds will be analyzed either in basic media or at low pH in the presence of a chaotropic salt such as sodium perchlorate (NaC104) or potassium hexa-fluorophosphate Some illustrations of the effect of the addi-... 

Although the majority of chiral CEC—MS applications still involve packed columns, few reports on chiral OT-CEC-MS are found in recent literature. The feasibility of coupling OT-CEC (using a short Chirasil-Dex-coated capillary column) to MS and MS/MS for trace analysis of hexobarbital enantiomers in biological fluids was reported by Schurig and Mayer. More recently, Kamande et al. investigated polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coating as a new medium for the separation of chiral analytes, and PEM-coated capillaries were successfully coupled to ESI/MS for the stereoselective analysis of five /1-blockers. 

Cyclodextrins have significantly contributed to the development of enantioseparations in CE, where they represent the most widely used chiral selectors. On the other hand, due to its inherently high separation efficiency and diverse technical advantages, CE has contributed enormously to the better understanding of affinity interactions between CDs and chiral analytes. The following text summarizes the recent developments in this field (3-60). 

An advanced type of column selectivity is chiral discrimination. Since enantiomers have identical physical properties they are not separable on conventional GC columns. However, if chiral analytes are allowed to interact with a chiral environment they will form transitory diastereomeric complexes which result in their being retained by the column to a different extent. As increasing numbers of enantiomerically pure drugs are synthesised in order to reduce side-effects, this type of separation will become increasingly important. 

A chiral selector can also be dissolved in the IL solvent and be subsequently coated on the capillary wall [38]. In this approach, the achiral [C4CiIm]Cl was used to dissolve permethylated p-cyclodextrin (p-PM) and dimethylated P-cyclodextrin (p-DM). The chromatographic separations obtained from these two columns were compared to two commercially available CSPs based on p-PM and p-DM dissolved in polydimethylsiloxane. From a set of 64 chiral molecules separafed by fhe commercial p-PM column, only 21 of the molecules were enantioresolved by the IL-based p-PM column. Likewise, from a collecfion of 80 analytes separated by the p-DM column, only 16 analytes could be separated on the IL-based p-DM column. The authors also noted a considerable enhancement in the separation efficiency of fhe IL-based CSPs. This resulf, coupled to fhe loss of enantioselecfivify for mosf separations, suggests that the imidazolium cation may occupy the cavity of the cyclodextrin preventing the analyte-cyclodextrin inclusion complex-ation that is crucial for chiral recognition. The ability for ILs to form inclusion complexes wifh cyclodextrin molecules has been recently studied by Tran and coworkers using near-infrared spectromefry [39]. 

The various properties exhibited by ILs make them ideal stahonary phases in GLC. ILs exhibit a unique dual-nature selechvity that allows them to separate polar molecules like a polar stationary phase and nonpolar molecules like a nonpolar stationary phase. In addition, the combination of cations and anions can be tuned to add further selectivity for more complex separations. Viscosity, thermal stability, and surface tension are vital properties that dictate the quality and integrity of the stationary phase coating and are additional characteristics that can be controlled when custom designing and synthesizing ILs. Furthermore, thermal stability and the integrity of stationary phase film can be improved by immobilizing the IL by free radical polymerization to form stationary phases suitable for low- moderate-, and high-temperature separations. Chiral ILs have been shown to enantioresolve chiral analytes with reasonable efficiency. 

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