Ever since we introduced the first ground-breaking P/ACE™ system in 1989, we have led the industry in CE technology. Our developments encompass hardware, software and chemistry, with a long list of technology advancements that include laser-induced fluorescence, diode array detection, and advanced CE data reduction. Always directed by your feedback, we continue to focus on leadership, and on new ways to apply the core technology to key analytical solutions.
The separation of chiral molecules poses a unique challenge. In a symmetric environment, the chemical and physical properties of enantiomers (excepting the rotation of plane-polarized light) are identical. The key to resolving these molecules is therefore to construct the right chiral environment.
Separations by Capillary Electrophoresis using Highly Sulfated Cyclodextrins
The separation of chiral molecules poses a unique challenge. In a symmetric environment, the chemical and physical properties of enantiomers (excepting the rotation of plane-polarized light) are identical. The key to resolving these molecules is therefore to construct the right chiral environment.
This is easily achieved in CE by filling the capillary with a separation buffer containing a chiral additive. Although many chiral selectors have been used successfully, the most comprehensive separation strategies have been achieved with highly sulfated cyclodextrins (HSCDs), a family of three chiral reagents.
Among the chiral selectors that are available for CE today, HSCDs seem to provide not only the most general selectivity but also the fastest separations and the shortest method development time. It therefore makes good sense to try HSCDs first when developing chiral separation methods.
A P/ACE™ MDQ Plus CE system with liquid capillary cooling and photodiode array (PDA) detection is recommended for chiral methods development using HSCDs. The HSCDs generate high current and demand effective capillary thermoregulation; therefore, rapid and efficient chiral separations require the advanced liquid cooling of the P/ACE™ MDQ CE system. Enantiomers have identical physiochemical properties in a symmetric environment and will produce similar absorbtion spectra. Spectral analysis is therefore useful in the identification of enantiomers and in their discrimination from contaminants. A P/ACE™ MDQ with photodiode array (PDA) detection will provide this valuable spectral data. The P/ACE™ MDQ CE system comes with a variety of sampling formats, including a 96-well plate, which allow this system to be compatible with many forms of laboratory automation.
Utilizing the following strategy, our scientists were able to resolve 131 of 135 randomly selected chiral compounds on the initial screen and in a separate study, 94 out of 101 basic compounds with a resolution of 2 or greater.