Impact of the degree of substitution on the enantioseparation of anionic β-cyclodextrin in liquid‒liquid extraction and countercurrent chromatography: Insights from molecular docking simulations

Five types of sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrin (SBE-β-CD) and carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CM-β-CD) with different degrees of substitution were synthesized, and six and five racemates were respectively chosen to study the influence of the degree of substitution on the enantioseparation factor. The synthesized SBE-β-CD and CM-β-CD were characterized using 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The results indicated that the influence of the degree of substitution on enantioseparation for distinct racemates exhibited significant variability. Increasing the degree of substitution of CM-β-CD led to an increasing enantioseparation factor, while SBE-β-CD with a specific degree of substitution provided the optimum enantioseparation factor for some racemates. The optimum enantioseparation factors of N-methyl duloxetine and duloxetine were obtained when a relatively low degree of substitution (DS = 3.5) was selected. And the optimum enantioseparation factor was obtained with a relatively high degree of substitution (DS = 7.5). SBE-β-CD with a low substitution degree of 3.5 was chosen to optimize the countercurrent chromatographic enantioseparation of N-methyl-duloxetine, which resulted in a significant improvement in peak resolution from 0.51 to 0.83. Molecular docking was used to construct three SBE-β-CDs with different degrees and distributions of substitution, and a good agreement was found between the docking results and the experimental results.

Recent progress on chiral extractants for enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction

As the demand for enantiopure compounds increases, chiral separation has become increasingly important in many fields. Enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction is an up-and-coming technology for enantiomeric separation because it is highly efficient and easy to be scaled up. The key factor for enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction is the development of novel chiral extractants with high enantiorecognition performance. With successful studies on catalytically active metal complexes as chiral extractants, novel chiral extractants can be screened and designed from the field of asymmetric catalysis. Chiral ionic liquids, sulfobutylether-β-cyclodextrins bonded magnetic nanoparticles and 2,2',3,3'-tetrahydro-1,1'-spirobi[indene]-7,7'-diol (SPINOL) based phosphoric acid host show unique potential ability in enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction and they deserve further study. Brief principles, extraction equipment and solvent systems in enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction are presented in the present paper, and recent progress in development of new chiral extractants in the past decade is mainly reviewed, including metal complexes, cyclodextrins, ionic liquids, tartrate acids and crown ethers.

Degree and distribution of substitution of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin in enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction and countercurrent chromatographic enantioseparation

Nine types of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) with different degrees and distributions of substitution were synthesised, and nine racemates were selected to investigate the effect of different degrees and distributions of substitution of HP-β-CD on the enantioseparation factor. ¹H NMR and GC/MS were used to characterise the synthesised HP-β-CD. The degree and distribution of substitution had a significant influence on enantioselective liquid-liquid extraction and enantioseparation by countercurrent chromatography. For most of the tested racemates, increasing both the degree of substitution and distribution of substitution at the C-2 position for HP-β-CD would lead to an increasing enantioseparation factor; the optimal enantioseparation factor of 2-phenylbutyric acid, tropic acid, 2,3-diphenylpropionic acid, 2-(4-hydroxylphenyl) propanoic acid, and naproxen was increased to 1.77, 1.53, 1.67, 1.61, and 1.75, respectively. The enantioseparation of racemic naproxen, 2-(4-hydroxylphenyl) propanoic acid, and 2,3-diphenylpropionic acid by countercurrent chromatography was optimised using HP-β-CD with a degree of substitution of 16.5, and peak resolution was significantly improved to 1.03, 1.35, and 1.01, respectively.

Analytical enantioseparation of N-alkyl drugs by reversed-phase liquid chromatography with carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin as mobile phase additive

Carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrins (CM-β-CDs) with five kinds of degrees of substitution were synthesized and characterized. Analytical enantioseparation of six basic drugs containing N-alkyl groups, including pheniramine, chlorpheniramine, labetalol, propranolol, venlafaxine, and trans-paroxol, was achieved by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) using the synthesized CM-β-CD as chiral mobile phase additives. Key influence factors were optimized, including organic modifier, pH value, CM-β-CD with different degrees of substitution, and concentration of CM-β-CD. The mobile phase was composed of methanol and 10 mmol L^-1 of phosphate buffer pH 4.0 containing 10 mmol L^-1 of CM-β-CD. Peak resolution for six racemic drugs was gradually increased with an increasing degree of substitution of the synthesized CM-β-CD. The stoichiometric ratio and binding constants for the inclusion complex formed by CM-β-CD and enantiomer were determined, which showed that the stoichiometric ratio for each inclusion complex was 1:1.

Recent advances in chiral analysis for biosamples in clinical research and forensic toxicology

This article covers current methods and applications in chiral analysis from 2010 to 2020 for biosamples in clinical research and forensic toxicology. Sample preparation for aqueous and solid biological samples prior to instrumental analysis were discussed in the article. GC, HPLC, capillary electrophoresis and sub/supercritical fluid chromatography provide the efficient tools for chiral drug analysis coupled to fluorescence, UV and MS detectors. The application of chiral analysis is discussed in the article, which involves differentiation between clinical use and drug abuse, pharmacokinetic studies, pharmacology/toxicology evaluations and chiral inversion. Typical chiral analytes, including amphetamines and their analogs, anesthetics, psychotropic drugs, β-blockers and some other chiral compounds, are also reviewed.

Negatively charged cyclodextrins: Synthesis and applications in chiral analysis-A review

The negatively charged cyclodextrins (CDs) play an important role in chiral analysis due to the additional electrostatic effect beyond the host-guest inclusion, especially in enantioanalysis of positively charged and electrically neutral analytes. This review presents recent advances in application of anionic CDs for enantioanalysis during the past five years. Firstly, the synthesis approaches of random substitution and single isomers of anionic CDs are briefly discussed. The main part focuses on the chiral analysis using anionic CDs in various analytical techniques, including capillary electrophoresis, high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrochromatography, counter current chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance, etc. Particular attention is given to the capillary electrophoresis application since charged CDs could be used as a carrier of enantiomers by virtue of their self-mobility and offer an easy adjustment of the enantiomer migration order. Finally, future opportunities are also discussed in the conclusion of this review.

Enantioseparation of three constitutional isomeric 2-(methylphenyl)propanoic acids by countercurrent chromatography

2-(3-Methylphenyl)propanic acid and 2-(4-methylphenyl)propanoic acid were successfully enantioseparated by countercurrent chromatography using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as a chiral selector. 2-(2-Methylphenyl)propanoic acid was also studied to compare the enantioseparation ability of three isomeric 2-(methylphenyl)propanoic acids. Totally 20 mg of 2-(3-methylphenyl)propanic acid and 20mg of 2-(4-methylphenyl)propanic acid were enantioseparated individually by countercurrent chromatography. Recovery for the (±)-2-(3-methylphenyl)propanic acid enantiomer was in the range of 85%-90% with 98.0%-98.8% purity and recovery for the (±)-2-(4-methylphenyl)propanic acid enantiomer was in the range of 80%-83% with 97.0%-98.0% purity. The enantioseparation factor in countercurrent chromatography for 2-(4-methylphenyl)propanic acid and 2-(3-methylphenyl)propanic acid were 1.31 and 1.26, and the peak resolution in HPLC reached 2.2 and 1.4. However, no enantioseparation could be found for 2-(2-methylphenyl)propanic acid. In addition, the inclusion complexes were investigated by UV spectrophotometer. The inclusion formation constant of inclusion complex between 2-(4-methylphenyl)propanic acid, 2-(3-methylphenyl)propanic acid, 2-(2-methylphenyl)propanic acid and HP-β-CD were determined as 121.73 mol/L, 78.12 mol/L and 53.18 mol/L, respectively. The present results showed that enantiorecognition was greatly affected by substituted positions of methyl group on the benzene ring. Combined with our previous results, the steric hindrance had a significant effect on inclusion interaction between HP-β-CD and racemic 2-(substitutedphenyl)propanoic acids. No enantiorecognition could be achieved for 2-(substitutedphenyl)propanoic acids with ortho-substituent group on benzene, while the influence of meta- and para- group on enantiorecognition varies with different substituent groups on benzene ring.

Enantioseparation of ondansetron by countercurrent chromatography using sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector

Ondansetron, a highly selective 5-hydroxytryptamine 3 receptor antagonist, was successfully enantioseparated by recycling countercurrent chromatography using sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin as chiral selector. Important factors for the enantioseparation were optimized, including different organic solvent, type of substituted β-cyclodextrin, pH of aqueous phase, concentration of chiral selector, and separation temperature. A biphasic solvent system composed of n-hexane: n-butyl acetate: 0.1 mol/L phosphate buffer solution pH 9.2 with 50 mmol/L of sulfobutyl ether-β-cyclodextrin (2.5:7.5:10, v/v/v) was selected. Under optimized separation conditions, 5 mg of ondansetron was enantioseparated using recycling countercurrent chromatography, yielding 1.2 and 1.5 mg of ondansetron enantiomers with 97.5 and 95.8% purity and the recovery reached 48-60%.

Recent progress in separation prediction of counter-current chromatography

As a liquid-liquid partition chromatography, counter-current chromatography has advantages in large sample loading capacity without irreversible adsorption, which has been widely applied in separation and purification fields. The main factors, including partition coefficient, two-phase solvent systems, apparatus, and operating parameters greatly affect the separation process of counter-current chromatography. To promote the applications of counter-current chromatography, it is essential to develop theoretical research to master the principles of counter-current chromatographic separations so as to achieve predictions before laborious trials. In this article, recent progress about separation prediction methods are reviewed from a point of the steady and unsteady state of the mass transfer process of counter-current chromatography and its mass transfer characteristics, and then it is divided into three aspects: prediction of partition coefficient, modeling the thermodynamic process of counter-current chromatography, and modeling the dynamic process of counter-current chromatography.

Chiral counter-current chromatography: A survey of its instrument, mechanism, procedure, and applications

The chiral separation by counter-current chromatography has made great progress in the past three decades. It has become increasingly popular in the field of chiral separation, and many applications have been introduced during the last years. This review mainly focuses on the current topics, applications, and trends in chiral separation by counter-current chromatography. It contains the development of modern counter-current chromatography apparatus, theory of counter-current chromatography, overview of applications of chiral counter-current chromatography enantioseparation, its current situation, and challenges. At last, some conclusions and perspectives also have been discussed in this review.

Stereoselective separation of (1S, 4S)-sertraline from medicinal reaction mixtures by countercurrent chromatography with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin as stereoselective selector

Four stereoisomeric components were produced during the synthesis of the antidepressant drug (1S, 4S)-sertraline hydrochloride due to the two chiral carbon centers in its chemical structure, including (1S, 4S), (1R, 4R), (1S, 4R), and (1R, 4S)-isomer. Stereoselective separation of the target isomer (1S, 4S)-sertraline from the medicinal reaction mixtures by countercurrent chromatography using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin as the stereoselective selector was investigated. A biphasic solvent system composed of n-hexane/0.20 mol/L phosphate buffer solution with pH 7.6 containing 0.10 mol/L of hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (1:1, v/v) was selected for separation of cis-sertraline and trans-sertraline using reverse phase elution mode and (1S, 4S)-sertraline was separated with (1R, 4R)-sertraline using recycling elution mode. A fabricated in-house analytical countercurrent chromatographic apparatus was used for optimization of the separation conditions. Stationary phase retention and peak resolution were investigated for separation of cis-sertraline and trans-sertraline by the analytical apparatus.

Chiral Separations by Countercurrent Chromatography

Chiral separations by countercurrent chromatography are mainly divided into two types: homogeneous chiral selector addition and interfacial chiral ligand exchange. In this chapter, we describe two methods for the enantioseparation of phenylsuccinic acid and α-hydroxy acids by high-speed countercurrent chromatography using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and N-n-dodecyl-L-proline as chiral selectors for both above mentioned modes.

Application of pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography in the chiral separation of two β-adrenergic blocking agents

Two β-adrenergic blocking agents, 1-[(1-methylethyl)amino]-3-phenoxy-2-propanol (1) and 1-[(1-methylethyl)amino]-3-(3-methylphenoxy)-2-propanol (2; Toliprolol), were enantioseparated by pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography. A two-phase solvent system composed of chloroform containing 0.10 mol/L of di-n-hexyl l-tartrate/0.10 mol/L of boric acid aqueous solution (1:1, v/v) was selected, in which 20 mmol/L triethylamine was added in the organic phase as a retainer and 2 mmol/L HCl was added in the aqueous phase as an eluter. Fifty milligrams of each racemate was completely enantioseparated by pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography to yield each enantiomer with a purity of more than 98%, and the recovery of each separated enantiomer reached around 76-82%.