Preparative separation of stereoisomeric 1-methyl-4-methoxymethylcyclohexanecarboxylic acids by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

Preparative separation of six rhynchophylla alkaloids from Uncaria macrophylla wall by pH-zone refining counter-current chromatography

pH-Zone refining counter-current chromatography was successfully applied to the preparative isolation and purification of six alkaloids from the ethanol extracts of Uncaria macrophylla Wall. Because of the low content of alkaloids (about 0.2%, w/w) in U. macrophylla Wall, the target compounds were enriched by pH-zone refining counter-current chromatography using a two-phase solvent system composed of petroleum ether–ethyl acetate–isopropanol–water (2:6:3:9, v/v), adding 10 mM triethylamine in organic stationary phase and 5 mM hydrochloric acid in aqueous mobile phase. Then pH-zone refining counter-current chromatography using the other two-phase solvent system was used for final purification. Six target compounds were finally isolated and purified by following two-phase solvent system composed of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE)–acetonitrile–water (4:0.5:5, v/v), adding triethylamine (TEA) (10 mM) to the organic phase and HCl (5 mM) to aqueous mobile phase. The separation of 2.8 g enriched total alkaloids yielded 36 mg hirsutine, 48 mg hirsuteine, 82 mg uncarine C, 73 mg uncarine E, 163 mg rhynchophylline, and 149 mg corynoxeine, all with purities above 96% as verified by HPLC Their structures were identified by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy.

Preparative separation of 1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid trisodium salt from the color additive D&C Green No. 8 (pyranine) by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

In developing analytical methods for batch certification of the color additive D&C Green No. 8 (G8), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration needed the trisodium salt of 1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid (P3S) for use as a reference material. Since P3S was not commercially available, preparative quantities of it were separated from portions of a sample of G8 that contained ∼3.5% P3S. The separations were performed by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography using dodecylamine (DA) as the hydrophobic counterion. The added DA enabled partitioning of the polysulfonated components into the organic stationary phase of the two-phase solvent system used, 1-butanol-water (1:1). Thus, a typical separation that involved 20.3g of G8, using sulfuric acid as the retainer acid and 20% DA in the stationary phase and 0.1M sodium hydroxide as the mobile phase, resulted in ∼0.58 g of P3S of greater than 99% purity. The identification and characterization of the separated P3S were performed by elemental analyses, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, high-resolution mass spectrometry, ultra-violet spectra, and high-performance liquid chromatography.

pH-Zone-refining centrifugal partition chromatography for preparative isolation and purification of steroidal glycoalkaloids from Solanum xanthocarpum

pH-Zone-refining centrifugal-partition chromatography (CPC) was successfully applied in the separation of complex polar steroidal glycoalkaloids of close Rf values, directly from a crude extract of Solanum xanthocarpum. The experiment was performed with a two phase solvent system composed of ethyl acetate/butanol/water (1:4:5 by volume) where triethylamine (5 mM) was added to the upper organic mobile phase as an eluter and TFA (10 mM) to the aqueous stationary phase as a retainer. Separation of 1 g of crude extract over CPC resulted in two distinct pH-zones. The fractions collected in pH-zone i afforded 72 mg of solasonine while the fractions collected in pH-zone ii were slightly impure, hence were purified over medium pressure LC, which afforded 30 mg of solasonine and further 15 mg of solamargine (SM). The steroidal glycoalkaloids, SM and solasonine were isolated in 93.3 and 91.6% purity, respectively. The isolated alkaloids were characterized on the basis of their (1)H, (13)C-NMR, and ESI-MS data.

Large-scale separation of clavine alkaloids from Ipomoea muricata by pH-zone-refining centrifugal partition chromatography

Centrifugal partition chromatography in the pH-zone-refining mode was successfully applied to the separation of alkaloids, directly from a crude extract of Ipomoea muricata. The experiment was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE)-acetonitrile-water (4:1:5, v/v) where triethylamine (10 mM) was added to the upper organic stationary phase as a retainer and trifluoroacetic acid (10 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. From 4 g of crude extract, 210 mg lysergol and 182 mg chanoclavine were obtained in 97% and 79.6% purities. Total yield recovery was >95%. Isolated alkaloids were characterized on the basis of their (1)H, (13)C NMR and ESI-MS data.

Preparative separation of di- and trisulfonated components of Quinoline Yellow using affinity-ligand pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

Four positionally isomeric 2-(2-quinolinyl)-1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dionedisulfonic acids (SA) and one triSA, components of the color additive Quinoline Yellow (QY, Color Index No. 47005), were isolated from the dye mixture by affinity-ligand pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography (CCC) through complementary use of ion-exchange and ion-pair reagents as the ligand. The added ligands facilitated the partitioning of the very polar polysulfonated components into the organic stationary phase of the two-phase solvent systems that consisted of isoamyl alcohol-methyl tert-butyl ether-acetonitrile-water (3:5:1:7), (3:4:1:7) or (3:1:1:5). Thus, separation of a 5-g portion of QY using sulfuric acid as the retainer and dodecylamine as the ligand (an ion-exchange reagent, 20% in the stationary phase), resulted in 1.21g of 6',5-diSA and 1.69g of 6',8',5-triSA, both of over 99% purity. A minor component, 8',4-diSA, not previously reported was also obtained (4.8mg of over 94% purity) through a similar separation of a different batch of QY using hydrochloric acid as the retainer and 10% dodecylamine as the ligand in the stationary phase. Two components that co-eluted (0.55g) in the 5g separation were separated when trifluoroacetic acid was used as the retainer and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (an ion-pair reagent) as the ligand. The separation resulted in 20.7mg of 6',4-diSA, not previously reported, and 111.8mg of 8',5-diSA, both of over 98% purity. The isolated compounds were characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry and proton nuclear magnetic resonance with correlated spectroscopy assignments.

Preparative separation of isomeric caffeoylquinic acids from Flos Lonicerae by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

This work concentrates on pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography of two isomeric dicaffeoylquinic acids, 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid along with 3-caffeoylquinic acid, from crude extracts of Flos Lonicerae. The elution sequence of the isomeric dicaffeoylquinic acids, the mixing zone and mechanism of separation are discussed. The separation of 2.136g of the crude sample from Flos Lonicerae yielded two isomeric compounds: 0.289g 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 0.106g 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid plus 0.690g 3-caffeoylquinic acid at a high purity of over 92.9%, 94.2% and 97.5%, respectively.

Separation of pyridine derivatives from synthetic mixtures by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

Three novel pyridine derivatives were successfully separated from their partially purified synthetic mixtures by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography using a multilayer coil planet centrifuge designed in our laboratory. After equilibration of a two-phase solvent system consisting of methyl tert-butyl ether-tetrahydrofuran-water at an optimized volume ratio of 4:6:7, triethylamine (10 mM) was added to the organic phase as a retainer and hydrochloric acid (10 mM) to the aqueous phase as an eluter. Separation runs of 1.20, 1.16, and 1.15 g of three samples yielded three pyridine derivatives in weights of 306, 255, and 314 mg at a high purity of over 98.5, 99.0, and 98.2% (determined by HPLC), respectively. The structures were identified by electron impact mass spectrometry and (1)H NMR.

Preparative separation of isomeric and stereoisomeric dicarboxylic acids by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

This work involves the preparative separation of some isomeric dicarboxylic acids using pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography (CCC), a relatively new preparative technique for the separation of ionizable compounds. The paper concentrates especially on the separation of a synthetic mixture of closely related cis and trans pairs of 1-methyl- and 1,3-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acids. The elution sequence of the isomers is discussed in terms of their relative acidities (pK(a) values) in solution and gas phase, hydrophobicities, and steric configuration. Two possible explanations are suggested for the mechanism of separation. They both involve the amount of retainer acid used, as it affects the separation and plays a role in the chemohydrodynamic equilibrium of the dicarboxylic acids in the column.

Large-scale separation of alkaloids from Corydalis decumbens by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography was successfully applied to the separation of alkaloids from a crude extract of Corydalis decumbens (Thunb.) Pers. using a multilayer coil planet centrifuge (CPC). The experiment was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE)-acetonitrile-water (2:2:3, v/v) where triethylamine (5-10 mM) was added to the upper organic stationary phase as a retainer and hydrochloric acid (5-10 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. From 3.1 g of the crude extract, 495 mg protopine, 626 mg tetrahydropalmatine and 423 mg bicuculline were obtained each with a purity of over 93% as determined by high performance liquid chromatography. The structures of the isolated compounds were identified by electron ionization mass spectrometry (EI-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-electrospray ionisation-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and 1H NMR.

Preparative separation of cichoric acid from Echinacea Purpurea by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography was successfully applied to the separation of cichoric acid from Echinacea Purpurea (L.) Moench. A 3.0 g quantity of sample was separated using the following two-phase solvent system: MtBE-CH3CN-water (4:1:5, v/v), 10 mM trifluoroacetic acid in organic stationary phase and 10 mM ammonia in aqueous mobile phase. The obtained fractions were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and negative ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Double separations were performed with the same solvent system yielding 563 mg cichoric acid at 95.6% purity.

PH-Zone-refining counter-current chromatography of lappaconitine from Aconitum sinomontanum nakai I. Separation of prepurified extract

pH-Zone-refining counter-current chromatography was applied to the separation of diterpenoid alkaloids from a crude sample from a crude prepurified sample containing lappaconitine at about 90% purity using a multilayer coil planet centrifuge. The experiment was performed with a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl tert.-butyl ether-tetrahydrofuran-distilled water (2:2:3, v/v) where triethylamine (10 mM) was added to the upper organic stationary phase as a retainer and hydrochloric acid (10 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase as an eluter. The separation of 10.5 g of the sample yielded 9.0 g of lappaconitine at a high purity of over 99% as determined by HPLC.

Preparative separation of alkaloids from the root of Sophora flavescens Ait by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

pH-Zone-refining counter-current chromatography was applied to the separation of alkaloids from a crude extract of the root of Sophora flavescens Ait using a multilayer coil planet centrifuge. After methyl tert.-butyl ether and water were equilibrated, triethylamine (10 mM) was added to the organic phase as a retainer and hydrochloric acid (5-10 mM) to the aqueous phase as an eluter. The separation was performed by eluting the aqueous phase while the organic phase was used as the stationary phase. From 1.0 g of the crude extract, sophocarpine (170 mg) and matrine (600 mg) were separated within 4.5 h at high purity of over 98%.

Peptide separation by pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography

Peptides without protecting groups have been successfully separated by pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography (CCC) using an ion-pair reagent, di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA), as a modifier in the stationary phase. Preliminary studies indicated that two parameters, i.e., the DEHPA concentration in the stationary phase and hydrophobicity of the solvent system should be adjusted according to the hydrophobicity of the analytes. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups of dipeptides were each separated under optimized conditions. The method was successfully applied to gram-quantity separations of bacitracin complex and bovine insulin.

pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography

A recently developed preparative technique, pH-zone-refining countercurrent chromatography (CCC), separates organic acids and bases according to their pKa and hydrophobicity. The hydrodynamic mechanism of pH-zone-refining CCC is illustrated in two elution modes along with a simple mathematical analysis. Separations include acidic and basic derivatives of amino acids and peptides, hydroxyxanthene dyes, alkaloids, indole auxins, and structural and geometrical isomers. In addition, recently developed affinity ligand separations of enantiomers, polar catecholamines, and free peptides are also described. Technical guidance is provided for interested users so that they can conduct a systematic search for the optimum solvent system and experimental conditions. Advantages as well as limitations of the present technique are discussed.

pH-Zone refining counter-current chromatography of polar catecholamines using di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid as a ligand

The use of di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DEHPA) as a ligand in the stationary phase effectively increased the partition coefficient of polar catecholamines. pH-Zone refining counter-current chromatography of six components, i.e. five catecholamines and one amino acid (DOPA), was successfully performed using a two-phase solvent system composed of methyl tert.-butyl ether and water by adding DEHPA (20%) and ammonium acetate (200 mM) to the organic phase and HCl (50 mM) to the aqueous mobile phase. DOPA was eluted first as a normal peak followed by the five catecholamines which formed a succession of highly concentrated rectangular peaks associated with sharp impurity peaks at their borders (UV tracing at 280 nm). Both pH and standard partition coefficient of collected fractions indicated minimum overlap between the main peaks. Each component was identified by NMR analysis.

Resolution of gram quantities of racemates by high-speed counter-current chromatography

Gram quantities of (+/-)-dinitrobenzoyl amino acids were separated by high-speed counter-current chromatography (CCC) using N-dodecanoyl-L-proline-3,5-dimethylanilide as a chiral selector (CS). Standard and pH-zone-refining CCC techniques were compared. By using the standard technique, 10 mg to a maximum of 1 g of samples was resolved in 2-9 h simply by increasing the concentration of the CS in the stationary phase. By using pH-zone-refining CCC, even more sample (2 g) was efficiently separated in less time (3 h). In both techniques, leakage of CS from the column was negligible. The method requires no solid support and the same column can be used repeatedly to separate a variety of enantiomers by dissolving appropriate chiral selectors in the stationary phase.

Separation of peptide derivatives by pH-zone-refining counter-current chromatography

pH-Zone-refining counter-current chromatography was applied to the preparative separation of oligopeptide derivatives containing up to three amino acids. Both acidic benzyloxycarbonyl peptides and basic peptides-beta-naphthylamide were successfully separated with two-phase solvent systems composed of methyl tert.-butyl ether, 1-butanol, acetonitrile and water using a set of suitable retainer and eluent reagents for each group. The preparative ability of the method was demonstrated in the separation of multigram quantities of analyte with a standard separation column with a total capacity of 325 ml. The effects of important factors such as polarity of the two-phase solvent system, concentrations of the eluent base and the retainer acid were discussed.