Preparative-scale isoelectric focusing separation of enantiomers using a multicompartment electrolyzer with isoelectric membranes

True moving bed electrophoresis using stepped electric field gradients

True moving bed electrophoresis has been shown to be an effective technique for the bench-scale separation of enantiomers, and it is desired to increase the maximum possible throughput attainable with the process by using electric field gradients. Homatropine enantiomer separations were performed and results using a stepped electric field gradient were compared to those using a traditional non-gradient separation. In order to accomplish this, a newly designed stator was constructed for use with the Vortex-Stabilized Electrophoresis Apparatus that has three sets of electrode housings, one set at both ends and one in the middle of the chamber. There were several problems related to the membranes used at the middle electrode. The dialysis membranes were permeable to the homatropine enantiomers, and while a switch to anion exchange membranes prevented the permeation of the homatropine, this caused a pH shift that interrupted binding to the hydroxypropyl-ss-cyclodextrin chiral selector. These problems prevented any meaningful data from being collected using homatropine enantiomers, and due to this, a proof of concept study was conducted using two bovine proteins. The separations using fluorescein-labeled BSA and bovine hemoglobin showed that a 63% increase in the maximum processing rate was attainable. The maximum throughput using the non-gradient process was 30.6 mg/h and the maximum was 50.0 mg/h using an electric field gradient that was 10% lower than the non-gradient field in section II and 10% higher in section III.

Preparative-scale isoelectric trapping separations in methanol–water mixtures

The typically low aqueous solubilities of small, hydrophobic organic ampholytic molecules limit the production rates that can be achieved in their isoelectric trapping (IET) separations and call for the use of hydro-organic mixtures as solvents. The compatibility of methanol-water mixtures and poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate-supported isoelectric polyacrylamide hydrogels, developed for binary IET separations in a Gradiflow BF200IET unit, was investigated. The isoelectric polyacrylamide-based hydrogels retained their functional and mechanical integrities when the methanol concentration in the hydro-organic solvent mixture was kept at or below 25% (v/v). The utility of the hydro-organic media was demonstrated in the purification of a hydrophobic ampholytic compound, technical grade 4-hydroxy-3-(morpholinomethyl) benzoic acid. Production rates as high as 7 mg/h were achieved using small, 15 cm2 active surface area isoelectric membranes.

Preparative-scale isoelectric trapping enantiomer separations

The new Gradiflow BF200 IET unit, developed for isoelectric trapping protein separations has been modified and used to carry out preparative-scale enantiomer separations. Hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin was used as the chiral resolving agent to induce an isoelectric point difference between the enantiomers. Three isoelectric membranes with isoelectric points below, in between and above the isoelectric points of the complexed enantiomers were used to trap the separated enantiomers in the anodic and cathodic separation compartments of the Gradiflow BF200 IET apparatus, respectively. The production rates were about 15 times higher than those previously obtained with another isoelectric trapping device and about 30% higher than those obtained in a continuous free-flow electrophoretic device operated in the isoelectric focusing mode. The remarkable separation speed observed in the modified Gradiflow BF200 IET unit is attributed to the favorable interplay of the short electrophoretic transfer distance, the high electric field strength and the large effective surface areas of the isoelectric membranes.

Effect of feed zone width on product purity in preparative-scale, continuous free-flow isoelectric focusing separation of enantiomers

The effects of the increased width of the sample feed stream upon the purity of the collected fractions were examined in the continuous free-flow isoelectric focusing separation of the enantiomers of dansyl-tryptophan. Compared to the reference separation obtained with a narrow feed stream introduced through the central sample feed port of the continuous free-flow isoelectric focusing separation unit, the final pH gradient, the position of the enantiomer band centroids and the values of the cumulative product recoveries and cumulative product purities remained essentially identical as the width of the feed band of the racemic sample dissolved in the carrier ampholyte was increased up to the full width of the separation chamber suggesting that the current, limiting practice of narrow, central feed bands can be safely abandoned and dilute feedstock solutions can be utilized in preparative-scale isoelectric focusing enantiomer separations.

Preparative-scale isoelectric trapping separations using a modified Gradiflow unit

The Gradiflow BF200 preparative electrophoretic unit (Gradipore), which has been developed for size-based and charge-sign-based protein separations and in which the hydraulic flow path of the recirculating sample stream in the separation cartridge is orthogonal to the electric field, has been modified to carry out binary protein separations using the principles of isoelectric trapping. The disposable separation cartridge contained three isoelectric membranes which, along with the cartridge holder, formed the anode and cathode compartments and the anodic and cathodic separation compartments. The utility of the modified instrument was demonstrated by effecting a binary separation of chicken egg white across an isoelectric point 5.5 isoelectric membrane. The desalting and subsequent binary separation steps proved to be remarkably rapid, due to the favorable combination of short electrophoretic path, high electric field strength and large effective isoelectric membrane surface area.

Use of full-column imaging capillary isoelectric focusing for the rapid determination of the operating conditions in the preparative-scale continuous free-flow isoelectric focusing separation of enantiomers

A rapid, simple method is proposed here for the identification of the experimental conditions that lead to satisfactory preparative-scale isoelectric focusing enantiomer separations in continuous free-flow electrophoretic units. The method first calls for the use of a commercially available, full-column imaging capillary electrophoretic system to find the background electrolyte composition that generates the largest pI difference between the bands of the enantiomers. The method then calls for the finding of the minimum residence time that permits full development of the pH gradient across the separation chamber of the continuous free-flow electrophoretic unit by measuring the pH in the sample-free carrier electrolyte fractions collected during these runs. Finally, the quality of the predicted preparative-scale separation is verified by analyzing the enantiomer-containing collected fractions by capillary electrophoresis using a 14-sulfated, single-isomer cyclodextrin as resolving agent. The pI difference values and production rate values observed in this work agree well with the literature values that were obtained by much more time-consuming methods.

Continuous fractionation of enantiomer pairs in free solution using an electrophoretic analog of simulated moving bed chromatography

Continuous fractionation of the left and right enantiomers of Piperoxan was performed in free solution in a vortex-stabilized electrophoresis apparatus. Sulfated beta-cyclodextrin was used as the chiral selector. A capillary electrophoresis (CE) study of the separation of Piperoxan enantiomers was carried out in order to find the buffer conditions that produce the maximum peak separation time between the two enantiomers and the optimal chiral selector concentration. These peak separation times were then used to calculate the electrophoretic mobilities of the enantiomer-ligand complexes. The difference in electrophoretic mobilities, when used in a preliminary model of the enantiomer separation, indicated that, by imposing a fluid flow opposite the direction of electromigration, it would be possible to force the fast and slow enantiomers to move in opposite directions within the vortex-stabilized apparatus. Using the predictions of the preliminary separation model, the vortex stabilized electrophoresis apparatus was configured with a feed port at the center of the chamber axis and offtake ports near the cathode and anode. This allowed for continuous operation of the apparatus. Continuous fractionations were completed at throughputs of 1.5 and 4.0 mg/h with both offtakes showing greater than 99% enantiomeric purity at 4.0 mg/h using CE. Fractionation was achieved at a throughput of 10 mg/h, but while the slow enantiomer was recovered with greater than 99% purity, only 96% enantiomeric purity of the fast stereoisomer was achieved. The loss of resolution at higher volumetric throughputs supports our hypothesis that a mobility-dependent "window" of operation exists in which two solutes can be completely separated.

Fundamental aspects of chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis

A review is presented that surveys the basic theory of direct separation of enantiomers by capillary electrophoretic (CE) techniques. These separations are based on the formation of diastereomeric complexes between the enantiomeric analytes and a chiral selector added to the electrolyte solution. The review covers a comprehensive treatment of the equations needed for optimization of selectivity coefficients, resolution and analysis time in the zone electrophoretic mode. In this context, it takes into account combined equilibria of complexation and protonation/deprotonation as well as complexation and paritition into micelles. On the basis of these equations, the benefits of charged selectors and the optimization potential inherent to pH tuning can be documented. In addition, the review deals with some basic aspects of chiral isoelectric focusing and briefly discusses indirect enantioseparation. In a subsequent section a survey is given on particularfeatures of the various types of chiral selectors. Finally, the recent developments in preparative enantioseparation in continuous free-flow system and by use of isoelectric membranes are discussed.

Improved preparative-scale. continuous, free-flow electrophoretic separation of the enantiomers of terbutaline utilizing equal-but-opposite enantiomer mobilities

The factors that influence yield and product purity in the continuous, preparative-scale electrophoretic separation of the enantiomers of terbutaline when using the principle of equal-but-opposite effective mobilities were studied. The sodium salt of heptakis-6-sulfato-beta-cyclodextrin was used as the resolving agent, in acidic, isopropanol-containing background electrolytes, in the continuous, free-flow, preparative electrophoretic instrument, the Octopus. By matching the linear velocity of the feed solution to that of the background electrolyte, lateral hydrodynamic dispersion was minimized resulting in a nonelectrophoresed feed band that was only three fractions (about 3 mm) wide as it exited the 0.5 m long separation channel. The multiple of residence time and applied potential was also optimized, constrained by migration of the front of heptakis-6-sulfato-beta-cyclodextrin out of the separation zone, leading to the recovery of 95% of both enantiomers in better than 99.99% purity, at a production rate of 0.1 mg/h.

Use of single-isomer, multiply charge chiral resolving agents for the continuous, preparative-scale electrophoretic separation of enantiomers based on the principle of equal-but-opposite analyte mobilities

A novel approach to continuous, preparative-scale electrophoretic enantiomer separations has been developed based on the observation that stable, equal-but-opposite effective mobilities can be created for the enantiomers of a single-charged analyte by complexing them with a single-isomer, multiply charged resolving agent, provided that the charge of the resolving agent is opposite in sign to that of the uncomplexed analyte enantiomers. When such an analyte-resolving agent system is fed into a continuous, free-flow electrophoretic apparatus, stable, steady-state operating conditions can be established which permit the continuous feeding of the racemic analyte and the collection of pure enantiomers at the opposite sides of the feed stream. This concept is demonstrated via the separation of the enantiomers of terbutaline using heptakis-6-sulfato beta-cyclodextrin as resolving agent, affording production rates as high as 2.8 mg/h in the general-purpose, continuous free-flow electrophoretic system, the Octopus.