Enantiomers chiral selectors

In a solution without chiral selectors, enantiomers cannot be distinguished from each other through their electrophoretic mobility. Separation can, however, be achieved when the buffer solution contains certain chiral compounds. The chiral compounds used to distinguish enantiomers are referred to as selectors. 

Thus, as shown earlier, CE represents a suitable technique for the determination of enantioselective binding constants between chiral drugs and cyclodextrins. The results obtained under appropriate conditions are reasonable and can be applied for optimization purposes as well as for a better understanding of the fine nuances of chiral CE separations. On the other hand, some care must be taken for the proper application of CE methods for the determination of the binding constants as well as when applying these data. A critical review of the calculation of stability constants for the chiral selector-enantiomer interactions from electrophoretic mobilities has been published by Vespalec and Bocek (40). 

R Vespalec, P Bocek. Calculation of constants for the chiral selector-enantiomer interactions from electrophoretic mobilities. J Chromatogr A 875 431-445, 2000. 

Tang L, Xiang D, Blackwell, JA. A comparative study of factors affecting chiral separations under reversed-phase conditions using cellulosic and Pirkle-type chiral selectors. Enantiomer 2000 5 345-355. 

In Figure 7.1, the enantiomer iabeied 1 interacts with the chiral selector on A-A, B-B, and C-C. The enantiomer iabeied 2 (the antipode) does not interact with the chirai seiector on C-C. In this mode, if the diastereomeric complex chiral selector-enantiomer 1 is stabilized by the interaction with C-C, the enantiomer 1 is more retained by the chiral selector than the enantiomer 2. Conversely, if the interaction C-C is nonstabilizing the complex chiral selector-enantiomer 1, the enantiomer 2 is more retained. 

To understand the nature of ligand-selector interaction mechanism and build models, strategies based on systematic variation of the chemical structure of the ligand-selector complexes are very popular. Spectroscopic techniques are often necessary to confirm the models and discard the speculative features. However, information retrieved from the spectroscopic data on chiral selector-enantiomer complexes may be sometimes useless since the solvation of the solute and the selector by the mobile phase may hamper the prediction. 

In this experiment the enantiomers of cyclobarbital and thiopental, and phenobarbital are separated using MEKC with cyclodextran as a chiral selector. By adjusting the pH of the buffer solution and the concentration and type of cyclodextran, students are able to find conditions in which the enantiomers of cyclobarbital and thiopental are resolved. 

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. 

An alternative model has been proposed in which the chiral mobile-phase additive is thought to modify the conventional, achiral stationary phase in situ thus, dynamically generating a chiral stationary phase. In this case, the enantioseparation is governed by the differences in the association between the enantiomers and the chiral selector in the stationary phase. 

Most chiral chromatographic separations are accompHshed using chromatographic stationary phases that incorporate a chiral selector. The chiral separation mechanisms are generally thought to involve the formation of transient diastereomeric complexes between the enantiomers and the stationary phase chiral ligand. Differences in the stabiHties of these complexes account for the differences in the retention observed for the two enantiomers. Often, the use of a... 

Catechin and epicatechin are two flavanols of the catechin family. They are enantiomers. The capillary zone electrophoresis (CE) methods with UV-detection were developed for quantitative determination of this flavanols in green tea extracts. For this purpose following conditions were varied mnning buffers, pH and concentration of chiral additive (P-cyclodextrin was chosen as a chiral selector). Borate buffers improve selectivity of separation because borate can make complexes with ortho-dihydroxy groups on the flavanoid nucleus. 

From the pioneering studies of Ito et al. [117], CCC has been mainly used for the separation and purification of natural products, where it has found a large number of applications [114, 116, 118, 119]. Moreover, the potential of this technique for preparative purposes can be also applied to chiral separations. The resolution of enantiomers can be simply envisaged by addition of a chiral selector to the stationary liquid phase. The mixture of enantiomers would come into contact with this liquid CSP, and enantiodiscrimination might be achieved. However, as yet few examples have been described in the literature. 

The first partial chiral resolution reported in CCC dates from 1982 [120]. The separation of the two enantiomers of norephedrine was partially achieved, in almost 4 days, using (/ ,/ )-di-5-nonyltartrate as a chiral selector in the organic stationary phase. In 1984, the complete resolution of d,l-isoleucine was described, with N-dodecyl-L-proline as a selector in a two-phase buffered n-butanol/water system containing a copper (II) salt, in approximately 2 days [121]. A few partial resolutions of amino acids and dmg enantiomers with proteic selectors were also published [122, 123]. 

Recently, two examples of the separation of enantiomers using CCC have been published (Fig. 1-2). The complete enantiomeric separation of commercial d,l-kynurenine (2) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a chiral selector in an aqueous-aqueous polymer phase system was achieved within 3.5 h [128]. Moreover, the chiral resolution of 100 mg of an estrogen receptor partial agonist (7-DMO, 3) was performed using a sulfated (3-cyclodextrin [129, 130], while previous attempts with unsubstituted cyclodextrin were not successful [124]. The same authors described the partial resolution of a glucose-6-phosphatase inhibitor (4) with a Whelk-0 derivative as chiral selector (5) [129]. 

Gas chromatography (GC) has also been used for preparative purposes, but is restricted to relatively volatile racemates such as anesthetics, pheromones or monoterpenes and, therefore, very few applications are reported. Nevertheless, in the cases to which GC may be applied, it could be considered as an economical alternative to HPLC. Most of the resolutions of enantiomers were performed on cyclodex-trin-derived CSPs [109, 144-153], and only on very few occasions were other chiral selectors used [153]. 

Another possibility of constructing a chiral membrane system is to prepare a solution of the chiral selector which is retained between two porous membranes, acting as an enantioselective liquid carrier for the transport of one of the enantiomers from the feed solution of the racemate to the receiving side (Fig. 1-5). This system is often referred to as membrane-assisted separation. The selector should not be soluble in the solvent used for the elution of the enantiomers, whose transport is driven by a gradient in concentration or pH between the feed and receiving phases. As a drawback common to all these systems, it should be mentioned that the transport of one enantiomer usually decreases when the enantiomer ratio in the permeate diminishes. Nevertheless, this can be overcome by designing a system where two opposite selectors are used to transport the two enantiomers of a racemic solution simultaneously, as it was already applied in W-tube experiments [171]. 

Most of the chiral membrane-assisted applications can be considered as a modality of liquid-liquid extraction, and will be discussed in the next section. However, it is worth mentioning here a device developed by Keurentjes et al., in which two miscible chiral liquids with opposing enantiomers of the chiral selector flow counter-currently through a column, separated by a nonmiscible liquid membrane [179]. In this case the selector molecules are located out of the liquid membrane and both enantiomers are needed. The system allows recovery of the two enantiomers of the racemic mixture to be separated. Thus, using dihexyltartrate and poly(lactic acid), the authors described the resolution of different drugs, such as norephedrine, salbu-tamol, terbutaline, ibuprofen or propranolol. 

Liquid-liquid extraction is a basic process already applied as a large-scale method. Usually, it does not require highly sophisticated devices, being very attractive for the preparative-scale separation of enantiomers. In this case, a chiral selector must be added to one of the liquid phases. This principle is common to some of the separation techniques described previously, such as CCC, CPC or supported-liquid membranes. In all of these, partition of the enantiomers of a mixture takes place thanks to their different affinity for the chiral additive in a given system of solvents. 

It is worth noting that the extractive process can be performed continuously. Thus, the separation of ( )-mandelic acid into its enantiomers was achieved with a liquid particle extractor described by Abe et al. [190-192] using A-docecyl-L-proline as chiral selector. 

Recently, the separation of some milligram quantities of terbutaline by classical gel electrophoresis has been reported [194]. A sulfated cyclodextrin impregnated on the agarose gel was used as a chiral selector and the complete resolution was achieved in 5 h. Analogously, small amounts of enantiomers can be isolated using thin-layer... 

Among the existing separation techniques, some - due to their intrinsic characteristics - are more adapted than others to processing large amounts of material. Such processes, which already exist at industrial level, can be considered in order to perform an enantioselective separation. This is the case for techniques such as distillation and foam flotation, both of which constitute well-known techniques that can be adapted to the separation of enantiomers. The involvement of a chiral selector can be the clue which changes a nonstereoselective process into an enantioselective one. Clearly, this selector must be adapted to the characteristics and limitations of the process itself. 

Several chiral selectors have been used in the separation of enantiomers by distillation [198]. Among them, the bisalcohol 8 (Fig. 1-6) has permitted obtainment of the ketone (+)-9 with an enantiomeric excess of 95 %. This example shows the feasibility of the process even though, in this particular case, the price of the chiral selector might prohibit scale-up of the separation. 

All enantioselective separation techniques are based on submitting the enantiomeric mixture to be resolved to a chiral environment. This environment is usually created by the presence of a chiral selector able to interact with both enantiomers of the mixture, albeit with different affinities. These differences in the enantiomer-selector association will finally result in the separation that is sought. 

A compromise among all the properties mentioned herein should be established, depending on the technique used and on the particular application. Preparative separation of enantiomers is still an open subject which requires further investigation in the search of new chiral selectors and techniques well adapted to large scale processes. 

Enantiomeric separations have become increasingly important, especially in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries as optical isomers often possess different biological properties. The analysis and preparation of a pure enantiomer usually involves its resolution from the antipode. Among all the chiral separation techniques, HPLC has proven to be the most convenient, reproducible and widely applicable method. Most of the HPLC methods employ a chiral selector as the chiral stationary phase (CSP). 

Addition of a chiral carrier can improve the enantioselective transport through the membrane by preferentially forming a complex with one enantiomer. Typically, chiral selectors such as cyclodextrins (e.g. (4)) and crown ethers (e.g. (5) [21]) are applied. Due to the apolar character of the inner surface and the hydrophilic external surface of cyclodextrins, these molecules are able to transport apolar compounds through an aqueous phase to an organic phase, whereas the opposite mechanism is valid for crown ethers. 

Fig. 5-13. Schematic representation of the Akzo Nobel enantiomer separation process. Two liquids containing the opposing enantiomers of the chiral selector (FI and K) are flowing countercurrently through the column (4) and are kept separated by the liquid membrane (3). The racemic mixture to be separated is added to the middle of the system (1), and the separated enantiomers are recovered from the outflows of the column (2a and 2b) [64],...

The enantioselectivity a is defined as the distribution ratio of one single enantiomer over the two chiral phases and has been determined experimentally for a variety of compounds (Table 5-1). It has been known from work by Prelog [66, 67] that tartaric acid derivatives show selectivities towards a-hydroxyamines and amino acids. However, from Table 5-1 it is obvious that tartaric acid derivatives show selectivity for many other compounds, including various amino bases (e.g. mirtazapine (10)) and acids (e.g. ibuprofen (11)). The use of other chiral selectors (e.g. PLA)... 

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