Preparation of DNA nanoflower-modified capillary silica monoliths for chiral separation.

Innovative chiral capillary silica monoliths (CSMs) were developed based on DNA nanoflowers (DNFs). Baseline separation of enantiomers such as atenolol, tyrosine, histidine, and nefopam was achieved by using DNF-modified CSMs, and the obtained resolution value was higher than 1.78. To further explore the effect of DNFs on enantioseparation, different types of chiral columns including DNA strand containing the complementary sequence of the template (DCT)-modified CSMs, DNF2-modified CSMs, and DNF3-modified CSMs were prepared as well. It was observed that DNF-modified CSMs displayed better chiral separation ability compared with DCT-based columns. The intra-day and inter-day repeatability of model analytes' retention time and resolution kept desirable relative standard deviation values of less than 8.28%. DNF2/DNF3-modified CSMs were able to achieve baseline separation of atenolol, propranolol, 2'-deoxyadenosine, and nefopam enantiomers. Molecular docking simulations were performed to investigate enantioselectivity mechanisms of DNA sequences for enantiomers. To indicate the successful construction of DNFs and DNF-modified CSMs, various charaterization approaches including scanning electron microscopy, agarose gel electrophoresis, dynamic light scattering analysis, electroosmotic flow, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were utilized. Moreover, the enantioseparation performance of DNF-modified CSMs was characterized in terms of sample volume, applied voltage, and buffer concentration. This work paves the way to applying DNF-based capillary electrochromatography microsystems for chiral separation.

Methods and approaches for determination and enantioseparation of (RS)-propranolol.

Propranolol, a ß-adrenergic receptor antagonist, is a chiral compound that is marketed as a racemate, but only the (S)-(-)-enantiomer is responsible for the ß-adrenoceptor blocking activity. Different chromatographic methods have been applied for separation and determination of enantiomers of (RS)-propranolol. In this article a review is presented on different liquid chromatographic methods used for enantioseparation of (RS)-propranolol, using both HPLC and TLC. In addition, some aspects of enantioseparation under achiral phases of liquid chromatography have been briefly mentioned.

Enantioseparation of propranolol, amlodipine and metoprolol by electrochromatography using an open tubular capillary modified with ß-cyclodextrin and poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles.

The inner wall of a capillary was coated with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to form tentacle-type coating, and poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles (PGMA NPs) were then immobilized on the film. Ethanediamine-ß-cyclodextrin as chiral selector was covalently bonded into the PGMA NPs through the ring-open reaction. The materials were characterized by SEM, TEM and FT-IR. The modified column was applied to the enantioseparation of the racemates of propranolol, amlodipine and metoprolol. Compared to a capillary with a single layer of CD-PGMA (without GMA coating) and to a CD-GMA system (without PGMA nanoparticles), the performance of the capillary is strongly improved. The effects of buffer pH value and applied voltage were optimized. Best resolutions (propranolol: 1.27, metoprolol: 1.01 and amlodipine: 2.93) were obtained when using the PGMA-coated capillary system. The run-to-run, day-to-day and column-to-column reproducibility were tested and found to be highly attractive. The new stationary phase is likely to have a large potential and scope in that it may also be applied to chiral separations of other enantiomers, such as amino acids and biogenic amines. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the preparation of a capillary column with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) coating which was then immobilized with poly(glycidyl methacrylate) nanoparticles and ethanediamine-ß-cyclodextrin. This novel open tubular column was applied to construct capillary electrochromatography system for separation of basic racemic drugs.

Metal organic framework HKUST-1 modified with carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin for use in improved open tubular capillary electrochromatographic enantioseparation of five basic drugs.

This work shows that the metal organic framework (MOF) HKUST-1 of type Cu3(BTC)2 (also referred to as MOF-199; a face-centered-cubic MOF containing nanochannels) is a most viable coating for use in enantioseparation in capillary electrochromatography (CEC). A HKUST-1 modified capillary was prepared and characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra, elemental analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. CEC-based enantioseparation of the basic drugs propranolol (PRO), esmolol (ESM), metoprolol (MET), amlodipine (AML) and sotalol (SOT) was performed by using carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin as the chiral selector. Compared with a fused-silica capillary, the resolutions are improved (ESM: 1.79; MET: 1.80; PRO: 4.35; SOT: 1.91; AML: 2.65). The concentration of chiral selector, buffer pH value, applied voltage and buffer concentration were optimized, and the reproducibilities of the migration times and Rs values were evaluated. Graphical abstract Schematic presentation of the preparation of a HKUST-1@capillary for enantioseparation of racemic drugs. Cu(NO3)2 and 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) were utilized to prepare the HKUST-1@capillary. Then the capillary was applied to construct capillary electrochromatography system with carboxymethyl-ß-cyclodextrin (CM-ß-CD) for separation of basic racemic drugs.

On-column entrapment of alpha1-acid glycoprotein for studies of drug-protein binding by high-performance affinity chromatography.

An on-column approach for protein entrapment was developed to immobilize alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) for drug-protein binding studies based on high-performance affinity chromatography. Soluble AGP was physically entrapped by using microcolumns that contained hydrazide-activated porous silica and by employing mildly oxidized glycogen as a capping agent. Three on-column entrapment methods were evaluated and compared to a previous slurry-based entrapment method. The final selected method was used to prepare 1.0 cm × 2.1 mm I.D. affinity microcolumns that contained up to 21 (±4) µg AGP and that could be used over the course of more than 150 sample applications. Frontal analysis and zonal elution studies were performed on these affinity microcolumns to examine the binding of various drugs with the entrapped AGP. Site-selective competition studies were also conducted for these drugs. The results showed good agreement with previous observations for these drug-protein systems and with binding constants that have been reported in the literature. The entrapment method developed in this study should be useful for future work in the area of personalized medicine and in the high-throughput screening of drug interactions with AGP or other proteins. Graphical abstract On-column protein entrapment using a hydrazide-activated support and oxidized glycogen as a capping agent.

(RS)-Propranolol: enantioseparation by HPLC using newly synthesized (S)-levofloxacin-based reagent, absolute configuration of diastereomers and recovery of native enantiomers by detagging.

Diastereomers of (RS)-propranolol were synthesized using (S)-levofloxacin-based new chiral derivatizing reagents (CDRs). Levofloxacin was chosen as the pure (S)-enantiomer for its high molar absorptivity (εo ∼ 24000) and availability at a low price. Its -COOH group had N-hydroxysuccinimide and N-hydroxybenzotriazole, which acted as good leaving groups during nucleophilic substitution by the amino group of the racemic (RS)-propranolol; the CDRs were characterized by UV, IR, (1) H-NMR, high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and sulphur fundamental elemental components analyser (CHNS). Diastereomers were separated quantitatively using open column chromatography; absolute configuration of the diastereomers was established and the reagent moiety was detagged under microwave-assisted acidic conditions. (S)- and (R)-propranolol as pure enantiomers and (S)-levofloxacin were separated, isolated and characterized. Optimized lowest-energy structures of the diastereomers were developed using Gaussian 09 Rev. A.02 program and hybrid density functional B3LYP with 6-31G* basis set (based on density functional theory) for explanation of elution order and configuration. In addition, RP HPLC conditions for separation of diastereomers were optimized with respect to pH, concentration of buffer, flow rate of mobile phase and nature of organic modifier. HPLC separation method was validated as per International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. With the systematic application of various analytical techniques, absolute configuration of the diastereomers (and the native enantiomers) of (RS)-propranolol was established. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Liquid chromatographic enantioseparation of three beta-adrenolytics using new derivatizing reagents synthesized from (S)-ketoprofen and confirmation of configuration of diastereomers.

Diastereomers of racemic ß-adrenolytic drugs [namely (RS)-propranolol, (RS)-metoprolol and (RS)-atenolol] were synthesized under microwave irradiation with (S)-ketoprofen based chiral derivatization reagents (CDRs) newly synthesized for this purpose. (S)-Ketoprofen was chosen for its high molar absorptivity (εo ~ 40,000) and its availability as a pure (S)-enantiomer. Its -COOH group was activated with N-hydroxysuccinimide and N-hydroxybenzotriazole; these were easily introduced and also acted as good leaving groups during nucleophilic substitution by the amino group of the racemic ß-adrenolytics. The CDRs were characterized by UV, IR, 1 H-NMR, HRMS and CHNS. Separation of diastereomers was achieved by RP HPLC and open column chromatography. Absolute configuration of the diastereomers was established with the help of 1 HNMR supported by developing their optimized lowest energy structures using Gaussian 09 Rev. A.02 program and hybrid density functional B3LYP with 6-31G* basis set (based on density functional theory), and elution order was established. RP HPLC conditions for separation were optimized and the separation method was validated. The limit of detection values were 0.308 and 0.302 ng mL-1 . Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Determination of enantiomers by FESI-sweeping with an acid-labile sweeper in nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis.

In this work, a facile and highly efficient on-line concentration strategy based on a coupling of field enhanced sample injection (FESI) and sweeping was developed for the determination of trace enantiomers (propranolol, PL) by nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis (NACE). In this FESI-sweeping method, the use of a sample of high acidity and low conductivity (pH* = 2.5, 4.0 µS cm(-1)) allowed for a large amount of analyte injection. Then, the concentration of the analytes was carried out by sweeping based on the interaction of an acid-labile anionic selector, di-n-butyl L-tartrate-boric acid complex acid, and cationic analytes. Simultaneously, the concentrated analytes were released and focused at the boundary of the acid sample solution and separation buffer due to the decomposition of the selector in the acid sample solution. Under the optimum conditions, a 21,000-fold sensitivity enhancement upon normal capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was achieved for PL enantiomers. The detection limits of R-propranolol and S-propranolol were 0.26 ng mL(-1) and 0.31 ng mL(-1), respectively. Eventually, the FESI-sweeping method was applied to detect PL enantiomers in plasma, saliva, and urine.

Electrically assisted liquid-phase microextraction combined with capillary electrophoresis for quantification of propranolol enantiomers in human body fluids.

In this study, electromembrane extraction (EME) combined with cyclodextrin (CD)-modified capillary electrophoresis (CE) was applied for the extraction, separation, and quantification of propranolol (PRO) enantiomers from biological samples. The PRO enantiomers were extracted from aqueous donor solutions, through a supported liquid membrane (SLM) consisting of 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE) impregnated on the wall of the hollow fiber, and into a 20-µL acidic aqueous acceptor solution into the lumen of hollow fiber. Important parameters affecting EME efficiency such as extraction voltage, extraction time, pH of the donor and acceptor solutions were optimized using a Box-Behnken design (BBD). Then, under these optimized conditions, the acceptor solution was analyzed using an optimized CD-modified CE. Several types of CD were evaluated and best results were obtained using a fused-silica capillary with ammonium acetate (80 mM, pH 2.5) containing 8 mM hydroxypropyl-ß-CD as a chiral selector, applied voltage of 18 kV, and temperature of 20°C. The relative recoveries were obtained in the range of 78-95%. Finally, the performance of the present method was evaluated for the extraction and determination of PRO enantiomers in real biological samples.

Differentiation of enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has matured to one of the major liquid phase enantiodifferentiation techniques since the first report in 1985. This can be primarily attributed to the flexibility as well as the various modes available including electrokinetic chromatography (EKC), micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC), and microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC). In contrast to chromatographic techniques, the chiral selector is mobile in the background electrolyte. Furthermore, a large variety of chiral selectors are available that can be easily combined in the same separation system. In addition, the migration order of the enantiomers can be adjusted by a number of approaches. In CE enantiodifferentiations the separation principle is comparable to chromatography while the principle of the movement of the analytes in the capillary is based on electrophoretic phenomena. The present chapter will focus on mechanistic aspects of CE enantioseparations including enantiomer migration order and the current understanding of selector-selectand structures. Selected examples of the basic enantioseparation modes EKC, MEKC, and MEEKC will be discussed.

Controlling size and uniformity of molecularly imprinted nanoparticles using auxiliary template.

Molecularly imprinted nanomaterials are gaining substantial importance. As a simple and efficient synthetic method, precipitation polymerization has been used to prepare uniform molecularly imprinted microspheres for numerous template compounds. Despite of its general applicability, the difficulty of obtaining uniform particles for some difficult templates by precipitation polymerization has been reported. In this work, we attempted to produce uniform atrazine-imprinted nanoparticles using propranolol as an auxiliary template under standard precipitation polymerization condition. When propranolol was added in the prepolymerization mixture for atrazine imprinting, it displayed a significant effect on particle size and size distribution of atrazine-imprinted polymers. The molecular binding characteristics of the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) nanoparticles were found to be dependent on the relative ratios of the two templates. Under an optimal template propranolol-atrazine ratio of 1:3 mol/mol, very uniform imprinted nanoparticles (d(H) = 106 nm) with a polydispersity index of 0.07 were obtained. The loading of the auxiliary template (propranolol) could be reduced to as low as 5% without sacrificing the uniformity of the MIP nanoparticles. The uniform MIP nanoparticles could be easily encapsulated into polyethylene terephthalate nanofibers using a simple electrospinning technique. The composite nanofibers containing the MIP nanoparticles maintained specific molecular binding capability for both atrazine and propranolol.

Reaction of ß-blockers and ß-agonist pharmaceuticals with aqueous chlorine. Investigation of kinetics and by-products by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

The degradation of two ß-blockers (atenolol and propranolol) and one ß-receptor agonist (salbutamol) during water chlorination was investigated by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). An accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight system (QTOF) was used to follow the time course of the pharmaceuticals and also used in the identification of the by-products. The degradation kinetics of these drugs was investigated at different concentrations of chlorine, bromide and sample pH by means of a Box-Behnken experimental design. Depending on these factors, dissipation half-lives varied in the ranges 68-145 h for atenolol, 1.3-33 min for salbutamol and 42-8362 min for propranolol. Normally, an increase in chlorine dosage and pH resulted in faster degradation of these pharmaceuticals. Moreover, the presence of bromide in water samples also resulted in a faster transformation of atenolol at low chlorine doses. The use of an accurate-mass high-resolution LC-QTOF-MS system permitted the identification of a total of 14 by-products. The transformation pathway of ß-blockers/agonists consisted mainly of halogenations, hydroxylations and dealkylations. Also, many of these by-products are stable, depending on the chlorination operational parameters employed.

Comparative NMR and MS studies on the mechanism of enantioseparation of propranolol with heptakis(2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfo)-ß-cyclodextrin in capillary electrophoresis with aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes.

In our recent studies, the reversal of the enantiomer migration order (EMO) was observed with heptakis (2,3-dimethyl-6-sulfo)-ß-CD (HDMS-ß-CD) when aqueous electrolyte was changed with nonaqueous electrolyte in CE. One-dimensional rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy experiments prevailed that an inclusion complex was formed between the analyte and the chiral selector in the aqueous buffer, whereas an external complex resulted when a methanolic electrolyte was employed. In the case of the similarly substituted heptakis (2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfo)-ß-CD (HDAS-ß-CD), the external complex was observed in the aqueous buffer but an inclusion complex was formed in methanolic electrolyte. In contrast to heptakis (2,3-dimethyl-6-sulfo)-ß-CD, no reversal of the enantiomer migration order was observed with HDAS-ß-CD. In the present study, further mechanisms of enantioselective recognition and separation of propranolol enantiomers with HDAS-ß-CD were investigated by using different techniques of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and high-resolution mass spectrometry. To the best of our knowledge, enantioselective nuclear Overhauser effect was observed for the first time in this study.

Separation of propranolol enantiomers by CE using sulfated beta-CD derivatives in aqueous and non-aqueous electrolytes: comparative CE and NMR study.

Separations using CE employing non-aqueous BGE are already as well established as separations in aqueous buffers. The separation mechanisms in achiral CE with non-aqueous BGEs are most likely similar to those in aqueous buffers. However, for the separation of enantiomers involving their interaction with chiral buffer additives, the interaction mechanisms might be very different in aqueous and non-aqueous BGEs. While the hypothesis regarding distinct mechanisms of enantiomer separations in aqueous and non-aqueous BGEs has been mentioned in several papers, no direct proof of this hypothesis has been reported to date. In the present study, the enantiomers of propranolol were resolved using CE in aqueous and non-aqueous methanolic BGEs with two single isomer sulfated derivatives of beta-CD, namely heptakis (2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfo)-beta-CD and heptakis (2,3-dimethyl-6-sulfo)-beta-CD. The enantiomer migration order of propranolol was inverted when an aqueous BGE was replaced with non-aqueous BGE in the case of heptakis (2,3-dimethyl-6-sulfo)-beta-CD but remained the same in the case of heptakis (2,3-diacetyl-6-sulfo)-beta-CD. The possible molecular mechanisms leading to this reversal of enantiomer migration order were studied by using nuclear overhauser effect spectroscopy in both aqueous and non-aqueous BGEs.

Separation of enantiomers of chiral basic drugs with amylose- and cellulose- phenylcarbamate-based chiral columns in acetonitrile and aqueous-acetonitrile in high-performance liquid chromatography with a focus on substituent electron-donor and electron-acceptor effects.

In this study, amylose- and cellulose-phenylcarbamate-based chiral columns with different chiral-selector (CS) chemistries were compared to each other for the separation of enantiomers of basic chiral analytes in acetonitrile and aqueous-acetonitrile mobile phases in HPLC. For two chemistries the amylose-based columns with coated and immobilized CSs were also compared. The comparison of CSs containing only electron-donating or electron-withdrawing substituents with those containing both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents showed opposite results for the studied set of chiral analytes in the case of amylose and cellulose derivatives. Along with the chemistry of CS the focus was on the behavior of polysaccharide phenylcarbamates in acetonitrile versus aqueous acetonitrile as eluents. In agreement with earlier results, it was found that in contrast to the commonly accepted view, polysaccharide phenylcarbamates do not behave as typical reversed-phase materials for basic analytes either. In the range of water content in the mobile phase of up to 20-30% v/v the behavior of these CSs is similar to hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC)-type adsorbents. This means that with increasing water content in the mobile phase up to 20-30% v/v, the retention of analytes mostly decreases. The important finding of this study is that the separation efficiency improves for most analytes when switching from pure acetonitrile to aqueous acetonitrile. Therefore, in spite of reduced retention, the separation of enantiomers improves and thus, the HILIC-range of mobile phase composition, offering shorter analysis time and better peak resolution, is advantageous over pure polar-organic solvent mode. Interesting examples of enantiomer elution order (EEO) reversal were observed for some analytes based on the content of water in the mobile phase on Lux Cellulose-1 and Lux Amylose-2 columns.

ß-Cyclodextrin Polymerized in Cross-Flowing Channels of Biomass Sawdust for Rapid and Highly Efficient Pharmaceutical Pollutants Removal from Water.

Water pollution arising from pharmaceuticals has raised great concerns about the potential risks for biosphere and human health. However, rapid and efficient removal of pharmaceutical contaminants from water remains challenging. Wood sawdust, a byproduct of the wood-processing industry, is an abundant, cost-effective, and sustainable material with a unique hierarchically porous microstructure. These features make wood sawdust quite interesting as a filtration material. Here, we report a novel cross-flow filtration composite based on ß-cyclodextrin-polymer-functionalized wood sawdust (ß-CD/WS) in which the pharmaceutical contaminant water flows through the sawn-off vessel channels and the micropores on the surface of the cell walls, generating the turbulence. Such water flow characteristics ensure full contact between pharmaceutical pollutants and ß-CD grafted on the cellulose backbone of wood sawdust, thereby enhancing the water treatment efficiency. Consequently, the ß-CD/WS filter device shows a high removal efficiency of over 97.5% within 90 s for various pharmaceutical contaminants including propranolol, amitriptyline, chlortetracycline, diclofenac, and levofloxacin, and a high saturation uptake capacity of 170, 156, 257, 159, and 185 mg g-1, respectively. The high-performance wood-sawdust-based cross-flow filtration opens new avenues for solving the global water pollution issues, especially those caused by pharmaceutical contaminants.

Dispersive solid-phase extraction of racemic drugs using chiral ionic liquid-metal-organic framework composite sorbent.

Nowadays, enantioseparation of racemic pharmaceuticals in preparations is a prime concern by drug authorities across the globe. In the present work, it was attempted to develop novel enantioselective extraction method for five clinically used drugs (atenolol, propranolol, metoprolol, racecadotril, and raceanisodamine in their tablets) as racemates. The enantioselective solid-liquid extraction of these racemic drugs was carried out successfully by the use of chiral ionic liquid (CIL) in combination with a metal organic framework (MOF) for the first time. The composite CIL@MOF was synthesized from tropine based chiral ionic liquids with L-proline anion ([CnTr][L-Pro], n=3-6) and HKUST-1 type MOF, which was comprehensively characterized before being used as sorbent for enantioselective dispersive solid-liquid extraction. Preliminary selection of appropriate CIL was carried out on thin layer chromatography (TLC); under the joint participation of copper ion in the developing reagent, [C3Tr][L-Pro] ionic liquid showed better resolution performance with ΔRf value of 0.35 between the enantiomers was obtained for racemic atenolol. Moreover, the effect of copper salt dosage, amount of CIL, soli-liquid ratio and extraction time were investigated. The optimal conditions were obtained after thorough investigations; i.e. sample solution: ethanol, elution solvent: methanol, solid-liquid ratio: 12.5 mg:50 mL, amount of copper salt: 8 mg L-1, amount of impregnated CIL: 30% and extraction time of 30 min. As a result, enantiomeric excess values are 90.4%, 95%, 92%, 81.6% and 83.2% for atenolol, propranolol, metoprolol, racecadotril and raceanisodamine, respectively. The developed enantioselective method was validated following ICH guidelines and it was proved to be simple, effective and enantioselective way for separation of racemic pharmaceuticals with similar behaviors.

Rapid analysis of serotonin and propranolol using miniaturized CE with deep-UV fluorescence detector.

The design and construction of a miniaturized CE system has been developed for the analysis of clinically important compounds; serotonin and rac-propranolol. Chiral separation of rac-propranolol was investigated by using native and derivatized CDs at varios pH levels (e.g. 2.5, 4.0, 6.0, 9.0). Confocal fluorescence microscopy was used for the native direct detection of target compounds. Analysis time obtained under the optimum separation conditions was 84 s. LOD and LOQ values of serotonin were found as low as 22 and 72.6 fg/microL while these limits were 44 and 145.2 fg/microL for popranolol enantiomers, respectively. LOD and LOQ values were found to be the lowest limits reported before. The calibration curves were linear in the concentration range of 40-1500 fg/microL with the determination coefficients between 0.9994 (+/-0.01) and 0.9997 (+/-0.02).

Separation of drug stereoisomers by the formation of beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes.

For many drugs, only racemic mixtures are available for clinical use. Because different stereoisomers of drugs often cause different physiological responses, the use of pure isomers could elicit more exact therapeutic effects. Differential complexation of a variety of drug stereoisomers by immobilized beta-cyclodextrin was investigated. Chiral recognition and racemic resolution were observed with a number of compounds from such clinically useful classes as beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, sedative hypnotics, antihistamines, anticonvulsants, diuretics, and synthetic opiates. Separation of the diastereomers of the cardioactive and antimalarial cinchona alkaloids and of two antiestrogens was demonstrated as well. Three dimensional projections of beta-cyclodextrin complexes of propanolol, which is resolved by this technique, and warfarin, which is not, are compared. These studies have improved the understanding and application of the chiral interactions of beta-cyclodextrin, and they have demonstrated a means to measure optical purity and to isolate or produce pure enantiomers of drugs. In addition, this highly specific technique could also be used in the pharmacological evaluation of enantiomeric drugs.

Calculations of the energy distribution from perturbation peak data--a new tool for characterization of chromatographic phases.

The calculation of the adsorption energy distribution (AED) was recently introduced as an important tool for the chromatographic community for characterization of modern phases. The AED-calculations, provides model-independent information about the numbers of different adsorption sites and their respective energy-levels, prior to the selection of an adsorption isotherm model which narrows the number of possible rival models. The selection of a proper model for the fitting of the determined raw data is crucial; if the wrong model is selected misleading information about the retention mechanism may be drawn. The AED-calculations require raw adsorption isotherm data (i.e. data points) which is unfortunately not obtained by the newly validated perturbation peak method. In this study, we developed mathematical expression allowing the use of the raw tangential slope provided by the perturbation peak method for AED calculations. The approach worked excellently and was verified against both computer-generated adsorption isotherm data as well as experimentally determined data, using three different experimental systems. It was found that the calculations of the AED, as based on perturbation peak data, converts faster and are not more sensitive to experimental noise as compared to the classical AED calculations using raw adsorption isotherm data.