Enantiomer separations on chiral stationary phases in supercritical fluid chromatography

Cationic cyclodextrins chemically-bonded chiral stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography

Two covalently bonded cationic β-CD chiral stationary phases (CSPs) prepared by graft polymerization of 6(A)-(3-vinylimidazolium)-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamate-β-cyclodextrin chloride or 6(A)-(N,N-allylmethylammonium)-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamoyl-β-cyclodextrin chloride onto silica gel were successfully applied in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their enantioseparation capability was examined with 12 racemic pharmaceuticals and 6 carboxylic acids. The results indicated that imidazolium-containing β-CD CSP afforded more favorable enantioseparations than that containing ammonium moiety under normal-phase HPLC. The cationic moiety on β-CD CSPs could form strong hydrogen bonding with analytes in normal-phase liquid chromatography (NPLC) to enhance the analytes' retention and enantioseparations. In reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC), the analytes exhibited their maximum retention when the pH of mobile phase was close to their pK(a) value. Inclusion complexation with CD cavity and columbic/ionic interactions with cationic substituent on the CD rim would afford accentuated retention and enantioseparations of the analytes.

Application of Click-chemistry-based perphenylcarbamated beta-CD chiral stationary phase in CEC

A novel chiral stationary phase (CSP) was prepared by anchoring mono-6-azido-6-deoxyperphenylcarbamated beta-CD onto omega-alkynyl functionalized silica (5 microm) via organic soluble Cu(I)-catalyzed Click chemistry. The obtained CSP was thereafter packed into fused-silica capillary (100 microm id) with an effective length of 9 cm and tested in aqueous CEC to separate a series of racemic aryl alcohols. High separation factors with good resolution were achieved using the current novel CSP. Some pharmaceutical compounds could also be well resolved on this newly derived CSP. The analytical results demonstrate that Click-chemistry-based perphenylcarbamated CSP affords high stability in high electric field and depicts excellent enantioseparation in CEC. The effects of pH value, buffer concentration, applied voltage, concentration of organic modifier and analyte structure on the enantioseparation are also discussed.

Screening approach for chiral separation of pharmaceuticals

High-throughput and performance analysis and purification of enantiomers are important parts of drug discovery and provide high-quality compounds for pharmacological testing. We have previously reported two parts describing chiral chromatographic screens using normal-phase (NPLC) and reversed-phase (RPLC) liquid chromatography, in order to cope with increasing numbers of new compounds generated by chemistry programs. We present in this part the development and implementation of a third faster screen using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) to maximize chance in achieving rapid enantiomer resolution of large numbers of compounds in a minimum of time. The SFC screen utilizes a narrow combination of only four columns (Chirlapak AD and AS, and Chiralcel OD and OJ) and two solvent modifiers (methanol and isopropanol). A modifier and column-switching setup was employed to allow the entire screening process to be serially run in the order AD> OD > OJ > AS and methanol > isopropanol, so that the screening for a given molecule can be stopped when separation is achieved. The switching system was fully automated for unattended operation of multiple compounds. An optimization procedure was also defined, which can be performed if needed for unsuccessful separations in the screening step. The chiral SFC strategy proved its performance and robustness in resolution of hundreds proprietary chiral molecules generated by drug discovery programs, with a success rate exceeding 95%. In addition, the generic capability of the strategy was evaluated by applying the screen and optimization methodology to a test set comprising 40 marketed drugs differing from proprietary compounds in terms of chemical diversity, revealing a similar high success rate of 98%. Chiral separations developed at the analytical scale work easily and equally well at the semi-preparative level, as illustrated with an example. The SFC screen allows resolution of compounds that were partially separated by NPLC or not separated at all by RPLC, demonstrating the utility of implementing complementary chromatographic techniques. The SFC screen is currently an integral part of our analytical support to discovery chemical programs and is considered the first try for chiral separations of new compounds, because it offers a higher success rate, performance and throughput.

Separation of naproxen enantiomers by supercritical/subcritical fluid chromatography

An isocratic supercritical/subcritical fluid chromatography method for the separation of naproxen enantiomers on the Kromasil CHI-TBB column was investigated. The mobile phase was composed of supercritical CO2 with 2-propanol as modifier. The experimental conditions were temperature 293 K-323 K, pressure 9.4 MPa-21.3 MPa, and 2-propanol concentration 6%-15% (by mass), respectively. The enthalpic contribution to the overall enantiomer transfer energy was more important than the entropic contribution in the temperature range examined. The preferred operation conditions were 293 K, 9.4 MPa, and the concentration of 2-propanol in the mobile phase 11% (by mass).

Supercritical fluid chromatography tandem-column method development in pharmaceutical sciences for a mixture of four stereoisomers

A tandem-column method using Chiralpak AD-H and Chiralcel OD-H columns was achieved for baseline separation of a mixture of chiral pharmaceutical compounds (i.e., four stereoisomers) via supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) with a mobile phase consisting of 90% liquid carbon dioxide and 10% ethanol:isopropanol (50:50 v/v). On the contrary, this mixture (mixture A) could not be baseline separated by SFC conditions explored with individual Chiralpak AD-H and Chiralcel OD-H columns. The effects of various mobile phases on elution order, capacity factor, selectivity, and resolution were determined with mixture A on the individual aforementioned columns to develop the tandem-column method.

Enantioseparation of 2-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl-2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one and its 7-chloro-derivative by capillary zone electrophoresis using native and substituted β-cyclodextrins as chiral additives

Efficient, rapid and inexpensive methods were established for the chiral separation of two glucopyranosyl compounds from plant extracts, by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Baseline separation was achieved for both compounds. Several native cyclodextrins and their derivatives were tried as chiral selectors. CM-beta-CD and HP-beta-CD (with addition of acetonitrile in the buffer) gave rise to optimal chiral separation for the two compounds, respectively, each within a few minutes. The effects of several parameters on the chiral separation were studied.

Chiral Separations Using a Polypeptide and Polymeric Dipeptide Surfactant Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Coating in Open-Tubular Capillary Electrochromatography

A polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) coating consisting of the polypeptide, poly(l-lysine) hydrobromide, poly(l-lysine) and the polymeric dipeptide surfactant, poly(sodium undecanoyl-l-leucyl-alaninate), poly(l-SULA), is investigated as a new medium for the separation of chiral analytes in open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC). In this approach, a stable PEM is constructed in situ by alternative rinses of the cationic polymer poly(l-lysine) and the anionic polymer poly(l-SULA). In previous studies, the PEM coating has been constructed by use of the cationic polyelectrolyte poly (diallydimethylammonium chloride), PDADMAC. In this study, we investigate the use of a biopolymer as the cationic polyelectrolyte. The results reported here indicate an increase in selectivity and resolution when poly(l-lysine) is used as the cationic polymer in place of PDADMAC. To evaluate the chromatographic performance of the PEM coating as a chiral stationary phase, the separation of the beta-blockers, labetalol and sotalol, and the binaphthyl derivatives, 1,1'-bi-2-naphthyl-2,2'-dihydrogen phosphate, 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol, and 1,1-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine, are investigated. In addition, the effect of varying the amino acid order of the polymeric dipeptide surfactant on resolution is investigated. The number of bilayers also significantly influences the separation efficiency and resolution of enantiomers. The run-to-run and capillary-to-capillary reproducibilities are evaluated by calculating the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of the electroosmotic flow. These RSD values were found to be less than 1%. The coating is also stable and allows more than 290 runs to be performed in the same capillary. In addition, coupling of this chiral OT-CEC column with mass spectrometry is investigated.

Chiral separation of omeprazole and several related benzimidazoles using supercritical fluid chromatography

A study of the enantiomeric separation of omeprazole and several related benzimidazoles, using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), on the amylose based column Chiralpak AD is presented in this work. The effect of the organic modifier as well as temperature on the retention and enantioresolution was investigated. Alcohol-type modifiers provided the best results, allowing the enantiomeric separation of all the compounds studied with resolutions that were in most cases higher than 2, and analysis times lower than 10 minutes. An investigation of the temperature effect revealed that the isoelution temperature was below the working temperature range in only two cases, and hence it was better to work at the highest temperature permitted.

Rapid method development for chiral separation in drug discovery using sample pooling and supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry

A novel strategy for rapid chiral method development has been implemented using sample pooling and supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (SFC-MS) on four chiral stationary phases, namely Chiralpak AD and AS, and Chiralcel OJ and OD, and eight different modifier concentrations (5 to 40% methanol-0.2% isopropylamine). The screening is performed under an outlet pressure of 110 bar at 35 degrees C, and at a flow-rate of 2.5 ml/min for the initial 20 min and then ramped up to 4 ml/min and held for 4.5 min to elute all solutes from the column. The entire process is fully automated from injection to data processing, and operates unattended for 15 h overnight to obtain optimal chiral separation for multiple compounds. A unique feature of using SFC-MS to monitor chiral synthesis is the negligible interferences from achiral impurities. In addition, with SFC-MS, enantiomeric excess can be determined with much lower detection limits than UV and much shorter analysis times compared to normal-phase/reversed-phase liquid chromatography.

Chiral separation by chromatographic and electromigration techniques. A review

This review gives a survey of different chiral separation principles and their use in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography (GC), supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), thin-layer chromatography (TLC), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC) highlighting new developments and innovative techniques. The mechanisms of the different separation principles are briefly discussed and some selected applications are shown.

Applications of the Chiralpak AD and Chiralcel OD chiral columns in the enantiomeric separation of several dioxolane compounds by supercritical fluid chromatography

Two chiral columns based on polysaccharide derivatives (Chiralpak AD and Chiralcel OD) have been tested for the chiral separation of several dioxolane compounds, using supercritical fluid chromatography. The compounds studied included ketoconazole and some of its precursors. The effect of the different modifiers and the pressure, on the chromatographic parameters was also evaluated. In general, the alcohol modifiers provided better results than acetonitrile, and all the compounds could be separated with these two columns, but the selection of the column depends on the kind of compound.

Enantioseparations in super- and subcritical fluid chromatography

The separation of chiral compounds by sub- and supercritical fluid chromatography has been a field of great progress since the first demonstration of a chiral separation by SFC in 1985. Almost all of the chiral selectors used in gas or liquid chromatography have been successfully applied to sub-/supercritical chromatography. Easier and faster method development, high efficiency, superior and rapid separations of a wide variety of analytes, extended-temperature capability, analytical and preparative-scale equipment improvements and a selection of detection options have been reported.

Separation of enantiomers: needs, challenges, perspectives

Chiral drugs, agrochemicals, food additives and fragrances represent classes of compounds with high economic and scientific potential. First the present implications of their chiral nature and necessity of separating enantiomers are summarised in this article. In the following a brief overview of the actual approaches to perform enantioseparations at analytical and preparative scale is given. Challenging aspects of these strategies, such as problems associated with data management, choice of suitable chiral selectors for given enantioseparations and enhanced understanding of the underlying chiral recognition principles, are discussed. Alternatives capable of meeting the requirements of industrial processes, in terms of productivity, cost-effectiveness and environmental issues (e.g., enantioselective membranes) are critically reviewed. The impact of combinatorial methodologies on faster and more effective development and optimisation of novel chiral selectors is outlined. Finally, the merits and limitations of most recent trends in discrimination of enantiomers, including advances in the fields of sensors, microanalysis systems, chiroptical methods and chemical force microscopy are evaluated.

Progress in packed column supercritical fluid chromatography: materials and methods

This article summarizes recent developments in packed column supercritical fluid chromatography. Silica-based chemically bonded sorbents, similar to those used for HPLC, are widely used with solvent-modified fluids containing additives to suppress undesirable solute-sorbent interactions that lead to poor peak shapes. Composition programming is the most useful approach to gradient elution separations since solvent-modified fluids have low compressibility. Packed column SFC is most useful for the separation of mixtures usually separated by normal-phase HPLC. Compared to normal-phase HPLC it offers faster separations, higher efficiencies, faster column re-equilibration, and a wider range of experimental variables for optimization. Packed column SFC is being increasingly selected for the analytical and preparative separation of racemic mixtures using enantiomer-selective sorbents.

Enantiomer separation by complexation SFC on immobilized Chirasil-nickel and Chirasil-zinc

The use of complexation SFC for enantiomer separation of Lewis base selectands on chiral nickel(II)- and zinc(II)-bis[(3-heptafluorobutanoyl)-10-methylene-(1R)-camphora te] chemically bonded to poly(dimethylsiloxane) (Chirasil-nickel and Chirasil-zinc) and employed as Lewis acid selectors is described. The method is especially suited for less volatile and configurationally labile racemates. The variation of the experimental parameters temperature T, pressure p and density rho of the mobile phase carbon dioxide on the retention factor k, relative retention r and chiral separation factor alpha is studied, providing insights into the mechanisms of chiral recognition under supercritical conditions. For mecoprop methyl ester (methyl 2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy)propanoate) an unusual increase of alpha at increased temperature is observed on Chirasil-nickel. Supercritical carbon dioxide does not inadvertently affect the complexation equilibria between Lewis donor selectands and the Lewis acid metal selectors during complexation SFC.

Chiral separation of four 1,3-dioxolane derivatives by supercritical fluid chromatography on an amylose-based column

The chiral separation of four 1,3-dioxolane derivatives by supercritical fluid chromatography on an amylose-based column is described. The effects of mobile phase composition, temperature and pressure have been investigated. The nature of the modifier is the parameter which has the highest impact on the chiral resolution and it is more important than the polarity of the mobile phase. The organic modifier used for the best enantiomeric separation was different for each compound, because it depends strongly on the molecular structure of the compound.

Separation of stereoisomers in a simulated moving bed-supercritical fluid chromatography plant

The combination of two techniques, simulated moving bed (SMB) and supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), leads to an apparatus with unique features. Besides the known advantages of the SMB process, like reduced solvent consumption and its continuity, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as the mobile phase offers an easy product recovery by depressurizing the supercritical fluid. Details of a SMB-SFC plant are presented for the first time. Due to the large number of process parameters a simulation of the SMB process is necessary to achieve optimal operating conditions. The most important thermodynamic information for a SMB process is the adsorption isotherms. Therefore, isotherms for two phytol isomers are measured and correlated. A fast dynamic model for the simulation of SMB is used to calculate the region of complete separation taking different column configurations and the compressibility of the mobile phase into account.

Supercritical fluids in separation science--the dreams, the reality and the future

The last 20 years have seen an intense interest in the use of supercritical fluids in separation science. This started with the introduction of commercial instruments first for packed and then for capillary chromatography and it looked as if this would be a technique to rival gas-liquid chromatography and HPLC. The activity developed quite rapidly into packed column supercritical fluid separations then into supercritical fluid extraction. However, in recent years there has been a decline in publications. These later techniques continue to be used but are now principally applied to a limited group of applications where they offer significant advantages over alternative techniques. This review looks back over this period and analyses how these methods were developed and the fluids, detectors and applications that were examined. It suggests why many of the initial applications have vanished and why the initial apparent promise was not fulfilled. The rise and fall of supercritical fluids represents a lesson in the way analysts approach new techniques and how we might view other new separation developments at the end of this millennium. The review looks forward to the future of supercritical fluids and their role at the end of the first century of separation science. Probably the most important idea that supercritical fluids have brought to separation science is a recognition that there is unity in the separation methods and that a continuum exists from gases to liquids.