Chiral separations

Triptycene-based Chiral Porous Polyimides for Enantioselective Membrane Separation

Enantiomers of 2, 6-diaminotriptycene (R, R-1 and S, S-1) are split by chiral-phase HPLC and their absolute configurations are identified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technology. Using the enantiomers as monomers, a couple of chiral porous polyimides (R-FTPI and S-FTPI) are prepared by polycondensation reactions and display good heat stability, high BET surface area and good solubility in organic solvents. Moreover, both of R-FTPI and S-FTPI can be cast into robust, free-standing films suitable for enantioselective separation with symmetrical chiral selectivity.

Chirality and stereoisomerism of organic multicomponent crystals in the CSD

Multicomponent crystals in the CSD are classified into 49 subclasses based on chirality and residue type.

Enantioseparations in capillary electrochromatography using sulfated poly β-cyclodextrin-modified silica-based monolith as stationary phase

As the most popular chiral selectors, β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and its derivatives have been widely used in enantiomer separations. Among functionalized β-CDs, sulfated β-CDs are recognized as the most effective chiral additives in capillary electrophoresis (CE) separations. Herein, we describe the preparation of a novel sulfated poly β-CD-modified silica-based monolithic column and its use for the enantioseparation of some chiral compounds in the capillary electrochromatography (CEC) mode.

Application of click chemistry on preparation of separation materials for liquid chromatography

With the increasing requirement for analysis and separation of samples related to genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, pharmacology and agrochemistry, diverse stationary phases for liquid chromatography have been prepared by Cu(i)-catalyzed 1, 3-dipolar azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC). It has been proved that CuAAC is a powerful tool for preparing covalently bonded stationary phases. In this tutorial review, we highlighted the preparation of separation materials by immobilization of functional groups on silica beads, polymer beads and agarose via CuAAC and their applications in liquid chromatography and related purposes, such as separation of polar compounds, enrichment of valuable bio-samples, orthogonal two-dimensional HPLC and chiral separation. Meanwhile, agarose-based separation materials for affinity chromatography are reviewed.

Enantiomeric fraction as an indicator of pharmaceutical biotransformation during wastewater treatment and in the environment--a review

Enantioselective analysis of some pharmaceuticals during wastewater treatment has the potential to reveal significant insights regarding the effectiveness of biotransformation processes. Furthermore, enantioselective analysis of chiral pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment may provide a useful historical record revealing the dominant source of (treated or untreated) wastewater contamination. This review of the recent scientific literature has identified only a handful of studies that have directly investigated these promising applications. However, a range of enantioselective analytical techniques are likely to be adaptable from those which have been developed within the pharmaceutical industry. These include direct enantioseparations of enantiomers on chiral stationary phases as well as indirect separations by achiral stationary phases after chiral derivatization to form pairs of physically distinguishable diastereomers. Further investigations of the patterns of enantiomeric fractionation of pharmaceuticals in wastewater and environmental samples will provide an increasingly solid understanding of the relationship between biotransformation processes and the often overlooked parameter of enantiomeric fraction.

Pharmacologically active compounds in the environment and their chirality

Pharmacologically active compounds including both legally used pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs are potent environmental contaminants. Extensive research has been undertaken over the recent years to understand their environmental fate and toxicity. The one very important phenomenon that has been overlooked by environmental researchers studying the fate of pharmacologically active compounds in the environment is their chirality. Chiral drugs can exist in the form of enantiomers, which have similar physicochemical properties but differ in their biological properties such as distribution, metabolism and excretion, as these processes (due to stereospecific interactions of enantiomers with biological systems) usually favour one enantiomer over the other. Additionally, due to different pharmacological activity, enantiomers of chiral drugs can differ in toxicity. Furthermore, degradation of chiral drugs during wastewater treatment and in the environment can be stereoselective and can lead to chiral products of varied toxicity. The distribution of different enantiomers of the same chiral drug in the aquatic environment and biota can also be stereoselective. Biological processes can lead to stereoselective enrichment or depletion of the enantiomeric composition of chiral drugs. As a result the very same drug might reveal different activity and toxicity and this will depend on its origin and exposure to several factors governing its fate in the environment. In this critical review a discussion of the importance of chirality of pharmacologically active compounds in the environmental context is undertaken and suggestions for directions in further research are made. Several groups of chiral drugs of major environmental relevance are discussed and their pharmacological action and disposition in the body is also outlined as it is a key factor in developing a full understanding of their environmental occurrence, fate and toxicity. This review will be of interest to environmental scientists, especially those interested in issues associated with environmental contamination with pharmacologically active compounds and chiral pollutants. As the review will outline current state of knowledge on chiral drugs, it will be of value to anyone interested in the phenomenon of chirality, chiral drugs, their stereoselective disposition in the body and environmental fate (212 references).

Generic systems for the enantioseparation of basic drugs in NACE using single-isomer anionic CDs

The enantioseparation of 10 basic drugs was evaluated in NACE systems using heptakis(2-O-methyl-3-O-acetyl-6-O-sulfo)-β-CD (HMAS-β-CD). For this purpose, a D-optimal design with 21 experimental points was applied. Four antifungal agents (econazole, isoconazole, miconazole, sulconazole), three local anesthetics (bupivacaine, mepivacaine and prilocaine), two sympathomimetics (salbutamol and terbutaline) and one β-blocker (carvedilol) were selected as basic model analytes. The influence on the enantiomeric resolution of anionic CD and BGE anion concentrations as well as the BGE anion nature was investigated. For all studied analytes, the enantiomeric resolution was shown to be significantly influenced by the CD concentration. Based on the observed results, a generic NACE system was recommended, namely 20mM HMAS-β-CD and 10mM ammonium camphor SO(3)(-) in methanol acidified with 0.75 M formic acid. Moreover, this NACE system was compared to previous conditions with heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-sulfo)-β-CD (HDMS-β-CD) or heptakis(2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-sulfo)-β-CD (HDAS-β-CD). Finally, two generic systems using either HDAS-β-CD or HMAS-β-CD were proposed and evaluated for the enantioseparation of ketamine and norketamine after incubation of ketamine in phenobarbital-induced male rat liver microsomes systems.

Chiral differentiation of some cyclopentane and cyclohexane beta-amino acid enantiomers through ion/molecule reactions

Chiral differentiation of four enantiomeric pairs of beta-amino acids, cis-(1R,2S)-, cis-(1S,2R)-, trans-(1R,2R)-, and trans-(1S,2S)-2-aminocyclopentanecarboxylic acids (cyclopentane beta-amino acids), and cis-(1R,2S)-, cis-(1S,2R)-, trans-(1R,2R)-, and trans-(1S,2S)-2-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acids (cyclohexane beta-amino acids) was performed successfully by using host-guest complexes and ion/molecule reactions. The experiments were conducted by using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. The effect of a chiral host molecule was tested by using three different host compounds; (+)-(18-Crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid, (-)-(18-Crown-6)-2,3,11,12-tetracarboxylic acid, and beta-cyclodextrin. This is the first time that small enantiomeric pairs with two chiral centers have been differentiated using ion/molecule reactions and host-guest complexes.

Two mass-spectrometric techniques for quantifying serine enantiomers and glycine in cerebrospinal fluid: potential confounders and age-dependent ranges

BACKGROUND

The recent discovery and specific functions of D-amino acids in humans are bound to lead to the revelation of D-amino acid abnormalities in human disorders. Therefore, high-throughput analysis techniques are warranted to determine D-amino acids in biological fluids in a routine laboratory setting.

METHODS

We developed 2 chromatographic techniques, a nonchiral derivatization with chiral (chirasil-L-val column) separation in a GC-MS system and a chiral derivatization with Marfey's reagent and LC- MS analysis. We validated the techniques for D-serine, L-serine, and glycine determination in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), evaluated several confounders, and determined age-dependent human concentration ranges.

RESULTS

Quantification limits for D-serine, L-serine, and glycine in cerebrospinal fluid were 0.14, 0.44, and 0.14 micromol/L, respectively, for GC-MS and 0.20, 0.41, and 0.14 micromol/L for LC-MS. Within-run imprecision was <3% for both methods, and between-run imprecision was <13%. Comparison of both techniques with Deming regression yielded coefficients of 0.90 (D-serine), 0.92 (L-serine), and 0.96 (glycine). Sample collection, handling, and transport is uncomplicated-there is no rostrocaudal CSF gradient, no effect of storage at 4 degrees C for 1 week before storage at -80 degrees C, and no effect of up to 3 freeze/thaw cycles. Conversely, contamination with erythrocytes increased D-serine, L-serine, and glycine concentrations. CSF concentrations for 145 apparently healthy controls demonstrated markedly and specifically increased (5 to 9 times) D-serine concentrations during early central nervous system development.

CONCLUSIONS

These 2 clinically applicable analysis techniques will help to unravel pathophysiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic issues for disorders associated with central nervous system abnormalities, NMDA-receptor dysfunction, and other pathology associated with D-amino acids.

Monolithic enantiomer-selective stationary phases for capillary electrochromatography

Monolithic materials have become a well-established format for stationary phases in the field of capillary electrochromatography. Four types of monoliths, namely particle-fixed, silica-based, polymer-based, and molecularly imprinted monoliths, have been utilized as enantiomer-selective stationary phases in CEC. This review summarizes recent developments in the area of monolithic enantiomer-selective stationary phases for CEC. The preparative procedure and the characterization of these columns are highlighted. In addition, the disadvantages and limitations of different monolithic enantiomer-selective stationary phases in CEC are briefly discussed.

Current role of capillary electrophoretic/electrokinetic techniques in forensic toxicology

The current application of capillary electrophoresis in forensic toxicology has been critically reviewed with special focus on the areas where this technique has shown real advantages over chromatographic methods. For example, capillary electrophoresis has been most successfully applied to the chiral analysis of some drugs of forensic interest, including amphetamines and their congeners. Another typical application field of capillary electrophoresis is represented by protein analysis. Recently, special interest has been paid to carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT), the most important biological marker of chronic alcohol abuse. Other specific applications of capillary electrophoresis of potential forensic toxicological concern are also discussed. The review includes 62 references.

Covalent Modification of Glassy Carbon Electrode with Aspartic Acid for Simultaneous Determination of Hydroquinone and Catechol

Glassy carbon electrode (GCE) is covalently modified with aspartic acid (Asp). The modified electrode is used for the simultaneous electrochemical determination of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC) and shows an excellent electrocatalytical effect on the oxidation of HQ and CC by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.1 mol/L acetate buffer solution (pH 4.5). In differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) measurements, the modified electrode could separate the oxidation peak potentials of HQ and CC present in binary mixtures by about 101 mV though the bare electrode gave a single broad response. A successful elimination of the fouling effect by the oxidized product of HQ on the response of CC has been achieved at the modified electrode. The determination limit of HQ in the presence of 0.1 mmol/L CC was 9.0 x 10(-7) mol/L and the determination limit of CC in the presence of 0.1 mmol/L HQ was 5.0 x 10(-7) mol/L. The proposed method has been applied to the simultaneous determination of HQ and CC in a water sample with simplicity and high selectivity.

A simple method to determine concentration of enantiomers in enzyme-catalyzed kinetic resolution

Kinetic resolutions play important roles in industrial biotransformations for production of optical pure compounds from racemic substrates. A simple method, based on enantiomeric excess of both substrate (ee (S)) and the corresponding product (ee (P)), was developed for determination of concentration of enantiomers in kinetic resolution. Since only relative quantity (ee) was required in the proposed method, calibration and cumbersome quantitative sample handling can be avoided and analytical accuracy can be greatly improved.

Chiral separation of three agrochemical toxins enantiomers by high-performance liquid chromatography on a vancomycin crystalline degradation products-chiral stationary phase

This work aims to evaluate for the enantiomeric separations of three agrochemical toxins: haloxyfop-methyl, fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and indoxacarb on crystalline degradation products-chiral stationary phase (CDP-CSP) of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) under normal and polar organic phases. In the normal phase, the mobile phase was n-hexane with alcohols including methanol and isopropanol as polar modifiers. In the polar organic phase mode, the mobile phase was methanol with different percentages of triethylammunium acetate. The influence of flow rate (0.3-0.9 mL/min), analyte concentration and silica gel particle sizes (10, 15 and 30 microm) was investigated. This new chiral stationary phase showed excellent stereoselectivity for the two enantiomers of haloxyfop-methyl and fenoxaprop-p-ethyl and chiral recognition for indoxacarb under normal-phase mode. However, under polar organic phase, only indoxacarb was separated (alpha < 1.5). The chromatographic results were compared with commercial chiral columns.

Simulated moving columns technique for enantioselective supercritical fluid chromatography

This article describes a very useful extension of an unique column switching technique called "Simulated Moving Columns" (SMC) that was previously reported for chiral high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (Zhang and McConnell, Journal of Chromatography A 2004;1028:227-238). SMC uses two or three short chiral columns connected in series, and enables the unresolved enantiomers to separate repeatedly and exclusively through each of the columns until sufficient resolution is attained. The technique is significantly enhanced through the use of supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). The supercritical or near critical carbon dioxide (CO(2)) used in the mobile phase of SFC possesses the properties of a liquid as well as a gas, and usually results in much sharper peaks compared to HPLC. Consequently, by combining SMC with SFC (SMC-SFC), we were able to dramatically increase the number of SMC cycles with significantly less band broadening compared to HPLC. For the first time, an enantioselective SFC separation was demonstrated by increasing the column from the actual 20 cm length to reach a half meter virtual length with remarkably enhanced efficiency. Off-column band broadening resulting from a two-column SMC system was measured, and its impact on the enantioselectivity of SMC-SFC was found to be much less than in SMC-HPLC.

On-chip chiral separation based on bovine serum albumin-conjugated carbon nanotubes as stationary phase in a microchannel

A novel method of chiral separation based on protein-stationary phase immobilized in a poly(methyl methacrylate) microfluidic chip was developed. BSA conjugated with the shortened carboxylic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was employed as the chiral selector. Successful separation of tryptophan enantiomers was achieved in less than 70 s with a resolution factor of 1.35 utilizing a separation length of 32 mm. This is the first example of chiral separation based on SWNTs-BSA conjugates as stationary phase immobilized in microchip channel. The stability of the stationary phase in the channel was examined by microchip electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection. Factors that influenced the chiral separation resolution were examined. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed modified chip revealed adequate repeatability concerning run-to-run. These results show that the use of SWNTs-BSA conjugates within microfluidic channels hold great promise for a variety of analytical schemes.

Use oftert-butylbenzoylated tartardiamide chiral stationary phase for the enantiomeric resolution of acidic compounds by nano-liquid chromatography

Several racemic acidic compounds of pharmaceutical and environmental interest have been separated into their enantiomers by nano-liquid chromatography (nano-LC) employing a tert-butylbenzoylated tartardiamide chiral stationary phase (CHI-TBB). CHI-TBB was packed into a fused silica capillary of 100 microm id and retained by two frits made with a heated wire; detection was on-column at a window (about 0.5 cm) prepared by removing the polyimide layer. The normal phase mode was selected for eluting the studied acidic compounds and therefore n-hexane/2-propanol/acetic acid (89/10/1, v/v/v) was used as mobile phase. Working at a flow rate of 220 nL/min a good resolution was obtained for mecoprop, dichlorprop, diclofop, fenoxaprop (herbicides) and for DF 1738Y, DF 1770Y, DF 2008Y (drugs under evaluation). In order to optimize the chiral resolution we modified the polarity of the mobile phase by adding several polar additives such as ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, tert-butyl methyl ether. Better results were obtained for some herbicides on working with 2-propanol/CH2Cl2/n-hexane/acetic acid (8/4/87/1, v/v/v/v). The influence of the capillary temperature on chiral resolution was studied for two herbicides with different chemical structures, namely mecoprop and haloxyfop in the temperature range between 10 and 40 degrees C and with n-hexane/2-propanol/1% acetic acid (89/10/1, v/v/v) as the mobile phase. Linear correlation of ln k vs 1/T and In alpha vs 1/ T was observed; deltaH degrees values were negative, demonstrating that retention of analytes was an exothermic process. A decrease in resolution was observed with rising temperature, showing that enantioresolution was mainly influenced by selectivity factors.