Synthesis, characterization, and application of chiral ionic liquids and their polymers in micellar electrokinetic chromatography

Chromatographic Study of Novel Heteronuclear Complexes with Schiff Base as Main Ligand

The properties of 12 new heterodi- and heterotrinuclear complexes having general formulae [Cu2Ln(L)2(NO3)(H2O)2](NO3)2·3H2O [where Ln = Pr (1), Nd (2), Sm (3) and Eu (4)], and [CuLn(L)(NO3)2(H2O)3MeOH]NO3·MeOH [where Ln = Gd (5), Tb (6), Dy (7), Ho (8), Ef (9), Tm (10), Yb (11) and Lu (12)], and their main ligand [L = C19H18N2O4Br2 = N,N'-bis(5-bromo-3-methoxysalicylidene)propylene-1,3-diamine] have been characterized by chromatographic analyses. The parameter of relative lipophilicity (RM0) of the tested compounds was determined experimentally by reversed-phase high-performance thin layer chromatography method with mixtures of methanol and water as a mobile phase. We also described interactions between chromatographed substances and various surfaces (silica-SiO2 and modified by hydrocarbon chains-RP-2, RP-8, RP-18 phases). This study also investigates the effect of pH of the mobile phase on the retention on the polar stationary phase. Thin layer chromatography combined with magnetic and electric field has been proposed as a complementary method for the determination of physicochemical properties of the investigated compounds. The chromatograms in the field and outside of it were developed simultaneously in three identical chromatographic chambers. One of them was placed in external magnetic field of 0.4 T inductivity, and the second in external electrical field. In magnetic and electric fields, retention of some complexes changed, which indicated that the presence of these fields influenced physicochemical properties of the compounds and their interactions with the stationary phase.

Evaluation of the enantioselectivity of glycogen-based synergistic system with amino acid chiral ionic liquids as additives in capillary electrophoresis

In this paper, two novel amino acid chiral ILs, tetramethylammonium-l-arginine (TMA-l-Arg) and tetramethylammonium-l-aspartic acid (TMA-l-Asp), were applied for the first time in CE enantioseparation to evaluate their potential synergistic effect with glycogen as chiral selector. As observed, significantly improved separation of tested enantiomers were obtained in the chiral ILs/glycogen synergistic systems compared to the single glycogen separation system. Several primary parameters affecting the enantioseparation, such as amino acid ILs (AAILs) concentration, glycogen concentration and buffer pH, were systematically investigated. An achiral tetramethylammonium hydroxide ionic liquid (TMA-OH) modified separation system was also evaluated to validate the superiority of the novel chiral ILs/glycogen synergistic systems. To further optimize the overall synergistic systems, the effect of three other parameters, including buffer concentration, applied voltage and capillary temperature were simultaneously analyzed by a central composite design (CCD), and excellent enantioseparations were achieved with the optimized parameters. The results indicate that the application of chiral ILs/glycogen synergistic systems is a promising way in chiral separation science.

Chemoenzymatic synthesis and biological evaluation of enantiomerically enriched 1-(β-hydroxypropyl)imidazolium- and triazolium-based ionic liquids

Racemic 1-(β-hydroxypropyl)azoles were prepared by solvent-free direct regioselective ring opening of 1,2-propylene oxide with imidazole or 1,2,4-triazole. Lipase-catalyzed transesterification of alcohols with vinyl acetate resulted in kinetic enantiomers resolution. Separated (S)-enantiomers of (+)-1-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol and (+)-1-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)propan-2-ol were quaternized with alkyl bromides or iodides, yielding novel optically active ionic liquids. Racemic salts were tested against a wide range of microorganisms.

Chiral recognition in separation science: an overview

Chiral recognition phenomena play an important role in nature as well as analytical separation sciences. In separation sciences such as chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, enantiospecific interactions between the enantiomers of an analyte and the chiral selector are required in order to observe enantioseparations. Due to the large structural variety of chiral selectors applied, different mechanisms and structural features contribute to the chiral recognition process. This chapter briefly illustrates the current models of the enantiospecific recognition on the structural basics of various chiral selectors.

Differentiation of enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has matured to one of the major liquid phase enantiodifferentiation techniques since the first report in 1985. This can be primarily attributed to the flexibility as well as the various modes available including electrokinetic chromatography (EKC), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC). In contrast to chromatographic techniques, the chiral selector is mobile in the background electrolyte. Furthermore, a large variety of chiral selectors are available that can be easily combined in the same separation system. In addition, the migration order of the enantiomers can be adjusted by a number of approaches. In CE enantiodifferentiations the separation principle is comparable to chromatography while the principle of the movement of the analytes in the capillary is based on electrophoretic phenomena. The present chapter will focus on mechanistic aspects of CE enantioseparations including enantiomer migration order and the current understanding of selector-selectand structures. Selected examples of the basic enantioseparation modes EKC, MEKC, and MEEKC will be discussed.

Application of polymeric surfactants in chiral micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CMEKC) and CMEKC coupled to mass spectrometry

The use of amino acid-based polymeric surfactants (a.k.a. molecular micelles) in chiral micellar electrokinetic chromatography (CMEKC) has been shown to be a successful separation mode for capillary electrophoresis (CE). In this mode, chiral compounds can be enantioseparated with high efficiency, high chiral selectivity, and versatility. This chapter describes the state-of-the art studies published in the past 5 years in CMEKC using polymeric surfactants. Recent trends in the compatibility of chiral polymeric surfactants with mass spectrometric (MS) detection suggest that this type of chiral selector may be the most promising ones for chiral CE-MS applications. The synthesis of new anionic and cationic MS-compatible polymeric surfactants and their utility in CMEKC and CMEKC-MS are demonstrated. Examples of how to run a typical CMEKC-MS experiment using univariate and multivariate optimization of CMEKC and MS parameters are discussed.

Phosphonium-based ionic liquids in electrokinetic capillary chromatography for the separation of neutral analytes

In this work we elucidated the applicability of phosphonium-based ionic liquids (ILs) as pseudostationary phase in electrokinetic capillary chromatography (EKC) with UV-detection. The phosphonium ILs studied contain bromide, chlorine, or tosylate ions, as counter ions, and alkyl side chains of variable length on the phosphorous atom. The effects of the type and concentration of the IL, pH, ionic strength, and type of background electrolyte solution on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) and on the effective electrophoretic mobilities of some neutral model analytes were investigated and large variations in the migration times were observed. Especially the IL employed remarkably affected the strength and direction of the EOF Successful separations were obtained for neutral aromatic singly substituted analytes, namely benzene, toluene, phenol, and nitrobenzene. The results demonstrated the potential of capillary electromigration methods for rapid interaction studies between ILs and analytes, which is useful for the development of novel materials for sample preparation and separation purposes or for novel catalyst and chemical processing studies.

Isopropylammonium formate as a mobile phase modifier for liquid chromatography

Isopropylammonium formate (IPAF), a new alkylammonium formate (AAF) room temperature ionic liquid, has been synthesized from isopropylamine and formic acid and characterized as an organic solvent mobile phase replacement for reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC). Characterization of IPAF solvent properties in water such as pH, conductivity, and viscosity, as well as its synthesis, is described. The LC polarity (P') and the solvent strength (S) parameters are determined to be 6.0 and 2.4, respectively, similar to those same parameters for methanol and acetonitrile. Application of this RTIL is demonstrated as an organic solvent replacement for reversed-phase LC to separate a test mixture of niacinamide, acetophenone and p-nitroaniline. The van Deemter plot profile for several columns of different dimensions, particle size, pore size and stationary phase are compared using an IPAF-water mobile phase. At flow rates above 2 mL/min, on-line mixing of the viscous IPAF with water appears not to be uniform. A flattening of the van Deemter profile is noted for particularly short (50 mm) wide bore (4.6 mm) columns packed with larger particles (10 µm). Small particle longer columns likely facilitated mixing at the beginning of the column generating typical linearly increasing van Deemeter curves. IPAF has been further shown as a function of temperature to be a non-denaturing modifier solvent for the separation of the protein cytochrome c from tryptophan compared to methanol. This is important to show, because the semi-preparative separation of native proteins using AAF mobile phases is the long-term goal of this research program.

Chemically bonded cationic β-cyclodextrin derivatives and their applications in supercritical fluid chromatography

Cationic β-cyclodextrin (CD) perphenylcarbamoylated derivatives were chemically bonded onto vinylized silica using a radical co-polymerization reaction. The derived materials were used as chiral stationary phases (CSP) in supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). Enantioseparations were successfully demonstrated on 14 racemates encompassing flavanones, thiazides and amino acid derivatives. The electrostatic force between the analytes and the cationic moiety on β-CD derivative was found to be important for retention and enantioseparation of the racemates. Aromatic cationic moiety on β-CD enabled better enantioseparations than aliphatic cationic moiety. It was also found that the presence of acid additives would result in lower retention of the analytes but often assist the chiral resolutions.

Chiral ionic liquids: a compendium of syntheses and applications (2005-2012)

In recent years, the field of chiral ionic liquids (CILs) has undergone exponential growth. As the technology has advanced, new ways of synthesizing stable and structurally diverse ionic liquids have been established. This has led to heretofore unknown applications of CILs as well as in improving efficiency of previously identified applications. In this review article we have compiled a comprehensive database containing structures and physical properties of notable CILs that have been synthesized during the last 6 years. Their applications in the fields of asymmetric organic synthesis, spectroscopy, and chromatography are also illustrated. This is an expansion of our previous review, which covered the literature before 2005.

Functional amino acid ionic liquids as solvent and selector in chiral extraction

Amino acid ionic liquids (AAILs) have received great attention due to their potentials in catalysis and separations. In this work, functional AAILs were used as solvent and selector in chiral liquid–liquid extraction for the first time. The AAILs have shown distinct enantioselectivity in amino acid extraction. Using these functional AAILs as acceptor phase and ethylacetate as donor phase, more L-enantiomer of amino acid was extracted into the ionic liquid phase than that of D-enantiomer. The influencing factors, including AAILs structure, copper ion concentration, organic phase and amino acid concentration, were investigated. We found that the enantioselective enrichment of racemic amino acids was achieved through a chiral ligand-exchange mechanism. The enantioselectivity of single-step extraction was up to enantiomeric excess value of 50.6%. Moreover, the functional AAILs were found to be efficient extraction solvents for amino acids. The logarithm of distribution coefficient for L-Phe was in the range of 3.4–3.6 in the ionic liquid–ethylacetate two-phase system. This liquid–liquid extraction approach may extend the application of ionic liquids in chiral separations.

Recent advances of enantioseparations in capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography

A comprehensive survey of recent developments and applications of capillary electromigration techniques for enantioseparations from January 2006 to June 2010 is presented. The techniques include capillary electrophoresis, chip capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrochromatography. The separation principles and the chiral recognition mechanisms are discussed. Additionally, on-line preconcentrations in chiral capillary electrophoresis are also reviewed.

MEKC as a powerful growing analytical technique

This review summarizes the principle and the developments in MEKC in terms of separation power, sensitivity, and detection approaches more than 25 years after its appearance. Newly used surfactants are mentioned. Classical and new sample concentration techniques in MEKC are described. The different detection approaches in MEKC with advantages, limitations, and future prospects are also discussed. This review highlights the wider application of MEKC in different analytical fields. Various recent selected applications of this technique in different analytical fields are reported.

Combined use of chiral ionic liquid and CD for MEKC: Part II. Determination of binding constants

A competitive inhibition mechanism is proposed to investigate the interactions among 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-beta-CD (TM-beta-CD), cationic ionic liquid type surfactants, N-undecenoxy-carbonyl-L-leucinol bromide (L-UCLB) and profens using affinity CE. The apparent binding constant of TM-beta-CD to L-UCLB was estimated by nonlinear and linear plotting methods. The binding constants of one representative profen (e.g. fenoprofen) to TM-beta-CD and L-UCLB were estimated by a secondary plotting approach. The R- and S-fenoprofens have different binding constant values, resulting in the enantioseparation due to the synergistic effect of the two chiral selectors, TM-beta-CD and L-UCLB.

Advanced CE for chiral analysis of drugs, metabolites, and biomarkers in biological samples

An analysis of recent trends indicates that CE can show real advantages over chromatographic methods in ultratrace enantioselective determination of biologically active compounds in complex biological matrices. It is due to high separation efficiency and many applicable in-capillary electromigration effects in CE (countercurrent migration, stacking effects) enhancing significantly (enantio)separability and enabling effective sample preparation (preconcentration, purification, analyte derivatization). Other possible on-line combinations of CE, such as column coupled CE-CE techniques and implementation of nonelectrophoretic techniques (extraction, membrane filtration, flow injection) into CE, offer additional approaches for highly effective sample preparation and separation. CE matured to a highly flexible and compatible technique enabling its hyphenation with powerful detection systems allowing extremely sensitive detection (e.g. LIF) and/or structural characterization of analytes (e.g. MS). Within the last decade, more as well as less conventional analytical on-line approaches have been effectively utilized in this field and their practical potentialities are demonstrated on many new application examples in this article. Here, three basic areas of (enantioselective) drug bioanalysis are highlighted and supported by a brief theoretical description of each individual approach in a compact review structure (to create integrated view on the topic), including (i) progressive enantioseparation approaches and new enantioselective agents, (ii) in-capillary sample preparation (preconcentration, purification, derivatization), and (iii) detection possibilities related to enhanced sensitivity and structural characterization.

Combined use of chiral ionic liquid and cyclodextrin for MEKC: Part I. Simultaneous enantioseparation of anionic profens

The enantiomers of five profen drugs were simultaneously separated by MEKC with the combined use of 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin and chiral cationic ionic liquid, N-undecenoxy-carbonyl-L-leucinol bromide, which formed micelles in aqueous buffers. Enantioseparations of these profen drugs were optimized by varying the chain length and concentration of the IL surfactant using a standard recipe containing 35 mM 2,3,6-tri-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, 5 mM sodium acetate at pH 5.0. The batch-to-batch reproducibility of N-undecenoxy-carbonyl-L-leucinol bromide was tested and found to have no significant impact in terms of enantiomeric resolution, efficiency, and migration time. Finally, this method was successfully applied for the quantitative determination of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical tablets.