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Highlights • A case of unusual van Deemter plots for optical isomers was studied. • Enantioselective eddy dispersion and adsorption kinetics were responsible. • A brush-type chiral column with bound macrocyclic antibiotic was under examination. Abstract Unusual dynamic behavior of the enantiomers of 9-bromo-11b-(tert-butyl)-2,3,6,11b-tetrahydrooxazolo[3′,2′:1,5]pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinoline-5,11-dione (I) was observed on a Nautilus-R column packed with silica grafted with antibiotic ristocetin. It consisted in (i) antibatic behavior of the van Deemter plots of the enantiomers and (ii) high and strongly enantiomer dependent values of the A- and B- terms of the van Deemter equation. Although rare, such a pattern has been found earlier in chiral chromatography, with all reported cases limited to brush-type chiral stationary phases. Adsorption dynamics in this system was studied by means of the moment method and the peak parking technique; hydrodynamic properties of the column were explored by using unretained tracers. It was shown that the peculiar shape of the van Deemter curves for the enantiomers of I is conditioned by imperfect packing of the stationary phase, which result in high transcolumn eddy dispersion, and by slow adsorption/desorption kinetics. It was proven that the whole void volume of the column available to an eluent is not accessible to the studied analyte because it cannot penetrate the space between neighboring grafted ligands. Its mass transfer in pores is also affected by the fact that the stagnant layer of the binary water-acetonitrile mobile phase differs in composition from the bulk liquid due to preferential adsorption of water that influences the apparent molecular diffusivity of solutes. An effect of the structures of analyte and chiral selector on the adsorption kinetics is also briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A Stationary Phase Optimized Selectivity methodology was studied for chiral separations in SFC. • Optimal column combinations can be predicted in chiral SFC for mixtures of racemates. • Addition of isopropylamine and trifluoroacetic acid additives allows for improved predictions which also lead to inversions of elution order. • With additives, predictive errors in retention time were below 6%. • Comparable performance can be obtained in chiral SOS-SFC compared to chiral SOS-LC. Abstract The possibilities of chiral Stationary-Phase Optimized Selectivity Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SOS-SFC) are studied for improving separations of mixtures of enantiomers on coupled chiral polysaccharide columns. This new chiral methodology in SFC requires a limited number of preliminary analyses, while it allows for the prediction of the separation profiles on all possible combinations of the available chiral columns. This is followed by a facile selection of the optimal column combination, which is then assembled and tested. The approach was investigated with a carbon dioxide/ethanol based mobile phases with and without additives on mixtures of pharmaceuticals comprising 4 and 5 racemates. Adjustment of the applied back pressure in SFC, leading to improved correspondence in mobile phase density between the individual and coupled column experiments, allowed for minor improvements in predictive strength except for acidic solutes in non-buffered media. Changing the order of the columns proved not to affect the quality of the separations, but did lead to some overall shifts in retention times. The best correspondence between the predictions and the experiments were obtained when commonly used additives such as isopropylamine and trifluoroacetic acid were used. Predictive errors ranged from 0.36 and 19.43% and from 1.15 and 5.03% in the experiments without and with additives, respectively. Elution profiles were sufficiently well predicted to allow implementation of coupled column selection tool in chiral SFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioactive compounds, including active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), are often chiral molecules where stereoisomers have different biological and therapeutic activity. Nevertheless, the preparation of these molecules can lead to racemic or scalemic mixtures (it is not trivial to produce just the optically pure compound). The evaluation of the enantiomeric purity of bioactive compounds, and therefore quality, is indeed of fundamental importance for regulatory scopes. Chiral high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is the gold standard technique to separate and to purify enantiomers. This comes from the wide availability of commercial chiral stationary phases (CSPs) and operational modes, which makes the technique extremely versatile. In recent years, the most relevant trend in the field of chiral analytical HPLC has been the development of CSPs suitable for fast or even ultrafast separations, thus favoring the high throughput screening of biologically active chiral compounds. This process has somehow lagged behind compared to achiral HPLC, due to a series of practical and fundamental issues. The experience has shown how in chiral chromatography even very basic concepts, such as the supposed kinetic superiority of core-shell (pellicular) particles over fully porous ones to improve the chromatographic efficiency, cannot be taken for granted. In this review, the most relevant fundamental and practical features that must be taken into consideration to design successful high-throughput, fast enantioseparations will be discussed. Afterwards, the main classes of CSPs and the most relevant, recent (last five-year) high-throughput applications in the field of the separation of chiral bioactive compounds (for pharmaceutical, forensic, food, and omics applications) will be considered. • This review focuses on the latest advancements in chiral SPs for LC. • There is an urgent need for chiral screenings especially in the pharma industry. • High-throughput methods are required in many fields (pharmaceutical, food, forensic). • The most important classes of chiral selectors employed in LC are reviewed. • Some fundamentals of chiral LC are given to explain recent innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2D-LC method was developed to quantify the enantiomers of mitotane and its metabolite, o,p′-DDA modified to n -Propyl ester, revealing that mitotane undergoes enantioselective metabolism. [Display omitted] • A new chromatography was developed for chiral mitotane and its metabolite monitoring. • Mitotane undergoes a chiral-oriented metabolism, observed in the ratio of enantiomers. • The ratio of mitotane to metabolites varies greatly between different patients. Mitotane is a chiral drug used to treat adrenocortical carcinoma, being metabolized to the o,p'-dichlorodiphenyl acetic acid (o,p'-DDA), also a chiral compound. Despite of its therapeutic significance, the overall ratios and enantiomers have not been known. In this study, we analyzed the enantiomers of mitotane and o,p'-DDA in the plasma of patients by a newly developed chiral-phase method employed in two-dimensional chromatography. Important differences were observed in the ratio of (S)/(R)-mitotane, which varied substantially from 1:1.2 to 1:10 whereas the (S)/(R)-o,p'-DDA ratio was relatively conserved, at approximately 2:1. These findings provide evidence for the enantioselective metabolism and provide a method for further analyses of mitotane and metabolites, which can explain the variation in the therapeutic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereoselectivity in drug metabolism can not only influence the pharmacological activities, tolerability, safety, and bioavailability of drugs directly, but also cause different kinds of drug–drug interactions. Thus, assessing stereoselectivity in drug metabolism is of great significance for pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) and rational use in clinic. Although there are various methods available for assessing stereoselectivity in drug metabolism, many of them have shortcomings. The indirect method of chromatographic methods can only be applicable to specific samples with functional groups to be derivatized or form complex with a chiral selector, while the direct method achieved by chiral stationary phases (CSPs) is expensive. As a detector of chromatographic methods, mass spectrometry (MS) is highly sensitive and specific, whereas the matrix interference is still a challenge to overcome. In addition, the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and immunoassay in chiral analysis are worth noting. This review presents several typical examples of drug stereoselective metabolism and provides a literature-based evaluation on current chiral analytical techniques to show the significance and challenges of stereoselectivity assessing methods in drug metabolism.

In this paper, two new reversed-phase (RP) HPLC-UV methods enabling the quantitative achiral and chiral analysis of ruxolitinib in commercial tablets (containing 20 mg of active pharmaceutical ingredient, API) and not commercially available galenic capsules (with 5 mg of API) are described. For the achiral method based on the use of a water/acetonitrile [70:30, v/v; with 0.1% (v) formic acid] eluent, a “research validation” study was performed mostly following the “International Council for Harmonization” guidelines. All the system suitability parameters were within the acceptance criteria: tailing factor, between 1.7 and 2.0; retention factor, 2.2; number of theoretical plates, >9000. The linearity curve showed R2 = 0.99 (Rxv2 = 0.99), while trueness (expressed as recovery) was between 96.3 and 106.3%. Coefficient of variations (CVs) (repeatability: CVw and intermediate precision: CVIP) did not exceed 1.3% and 2.9%, respectively. Moreover, the use of the enantiomeric Whelk-O1 chiral stationary phases operated under similar RP eluent conditions as for the achiral analyses, and the “inverted chirality columns approach (ICCA)” allowed us to establish that the enantiomeric purity of ruxolitinib is retained upon reformulation from tablets to capsules. The two developed methods can allow accurate determinations of ruxolitinib in drug formulations for medical use.

During the last years, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has attracted a continuously growing number of users. Thanks to the introduction of state-of-the-art equipment, this technique has allowed to run three-to-five times faster separations than in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) on columns packed with particles of comparable dimension, at lower pressure drops and without loss of efficiency. Thanks to its high versatility, its high-throughput screening capability, and "green" character of the mobile phase, SFC has become particularly attractive for the separation of chiral drugs in pharmaceutical industries. In this review, we will consider the latest applications of SFC for the analysis of compounds of pharmaceutical interest and/or with biological activity essentially covering main achievements of the last 3 years. We also focus on some very recent, remarkable applications of SFC in ultrafast enantioseparations on chiral columns of the latest generation. Technical improvements needed on commercial equipment to increase the competitiveness of SFC towards highly efficient enantioseparations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid mediators play an important role as biological messengers involved in inflammatory processes. Deriving from different polyunsaturated fatty acids, endogenously built mediators featuring both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties as well as pro-resolving lipid mediators and their biological precursors have been investigated. A newly developed method using chiral chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry on human plasma has demonstrated its suitability for the simultaneous determination of prostaglandins, lipoxins, D-series derived resolvins as well as protectins, maresin 1, leukotriene B4 and several precursors of them in order to yield information about metabolic pathways. Due to the matrix complexity, a solid phase extraction method using an octadecyl-modified silica gel cartridge was carried out. The developed method allows the determination of 34 analytes in 25 min showing enough selectivity as well as precision and accuracy (≤15% relative standard deviation, ≤15% relative error) in the calibration range of 0.1–10 ng mL −1 or 0.2–20 ng mL −1 depending on the analytes. Stability of the analytes in plasma has been demonstrated for at least 3 h at room temperature, 72 h in the autosampler and 60 days in the freezer at −80 °C. This method has been validated and shown its suitability for the determination of all studied analytes in human plasma samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Data on the use of macrocyclic antibiotics (vancomycin, teicoplanin, teicoplanin aglycone, and eremomycin) for the enantioseparation of amino acids, various amino acid derivatives, α-phenylcarboxylic acids, β-blockers, and some pharmaceutical preparations in reversed-phase and polar-organic HPLC modes are summarized. It is shown that mixed chiral selectors (eremomycin-vancomycin, eremomycin-bovine serum albumin) combine the properties of two selectors. Eremomycin and macrolides (azithromycin, erythromycin, and clarithromycin) are successfully used as chiral selectors in capillary electrophoresis. Aqueous and aqueous-organic supporting electrolytes (SEs) with the addition of eremomycin or nonaqueous supporting electrolytes with the addition of a macrolide are used for enantioseparation. The use of nonaqueous supporting electrolytes decreases the adsorption of the selectors on the quartz capillary surface and enables the separation of enantiomers at a low concentration of a chiral selector. Additions of boric acid into the supporting electrolyte improve the selectivity of separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to examine the multiresidue enantiomeric profiling of (fluoro)quinolones and their metabolites in solid and liquid environmental matrices using chiral HPLC-MS/MS method and a CHIRALCEL ® OZ-RH column. Simultaneous chiral separation was obtained for chiral ofloxacin and its main metabolites ofloxacin- N -oxide and desmethyl-ofloxacin; moxifloxacin; the prodrug prulifloxacin and its active compound ulifloxacin; flumequine; nadifloxacin and R -(+)-besifloxacin. Achiral antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and nalidixic acid) were also included in the method to enable the analysis of all targeted quinolones within one analytical run. Satisfactory enantiomeric resolution (Rs ≥ 1) was obtained for five out of eight chiral drugs enabling quantitative analysis. The overall performance of the method was satisfactory with a method precision <20%, relative recoveries >70% for most of the analytes and method detection limits (MDL) at low ng L −1 levels (0.1 < MDL (ng L −1 )< 6.4, 0.1 < MDL (ng L −1 )< 6.6 and 0.1 < MDL (ng L −1 )< 7.0 in influent, effluent and river waters for 83% compounds, 0.01 < MDL (ng g −1 )< 4.9 in solids for 91% compounds). Enantiomeric profiling from a week-long monitoring campaign in the UK showed that (±)-ofloxacin was found to be racemic in upstream waters but it was enriched with S -(−)-enantiomer in wastewater and in receiving waters. This could be due to the fact that ofloxacin can be used both as a racemate and as a S -(−)-enantiomer. Its consumption was further confirmed by the chiral signature of the investigated ofloxacin metabolites. As a result, alterations in the enantiomeric composition of antibiotics could influence not only their activity and toxicity in the environment, but also could induce changes in the microbial communities constantly exposed to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fluoroquinolones are popular class of antibiotics with distinct chemical functionality. Most of them are ampholytes with one chiral center. Stereogeneic center is located either in the side ring of Gatifloxacin (GFLX) or in the quinolone core of Ofloxacin (OFLX). These two amphoteric fluoroquinolones have terminal amino groups in common. The unusual Nadifloxacin (NFLX) is an acidic fluoroquinolone with a core chiral center. Owing to chirality and functionality differences among GFLX, OFLX, and NFLX, we mapped these enantiomers onto structure‐retention relationship. Amount of acetic acid modifier was studied in screened mobile phase and cellulose tris(3‐chloro‐4‐methyl phenyl carbamate) (Lux cellulose‐2) stationary phase. Experimental design of acetic acid% along with column temperature have been applied. Resolution and enantioselectivity have been related to structural features of the studied enantiomers. High amount of acid (0.4%) was optimum for the separation of either side chirality with a proximate amino group (GFLX) or core chirality without basic functionality (NFLX), while low amount (0.2%) is optimum for core chiral center with distal amino group (OFLX). Temperature has no significant effect on resolution and retention of enantiomers except for OFLX. Enantio‐retention explains possible chiral selective and nonselective interactions. The proposed methods have been validated for pharmaceutical analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral HPLC methods using macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases have been widely used and reported; however, the development of efficient methods to separate and quantify the analytes with high resolution is a challenging task. Therefore, the knowledge regarding the optimization of chromatographic parameters regarding this type of chiral chromatography is essential. This review presents and discusses the optimization of HPLC conditions and parameters for the chiral resolution of racemic drugs on macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases. Strategies for chiral method development are presented, using polar ionic, reversed phase, normal phase and polar organic modes. The effect of the most important chromatographic parameters, such as mobile phase composition, flow rate and temperature on the enantioseparation are discussed aiming the adequate screening and optimization protocol for each mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present review discusses the theory and application of van't Hoff analysis in chiral chromatography, with main focus on liquid chromatography. The topics considered include the physical meaning of van't Hoff equation's parameters, interpretation of thermodynamic data in terms of retention and enantioseparation mechanisms, abnormal behavior of van't Hoff plots, and best practices to avoid biased results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Verubecestat is an inhibitor of β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) being evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Synthetic route development involves diastereoselective transformations with a need for enantiomeric excess (ee) determination of each intermediate and final active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). The analytical technical package of validated methods relies on enantioselective SFC and RPLC separations using multiple 3 and 5 μm coated polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases (CSPs) and mobile phases combinations. Evaluation of recently developed chiral columns revealed a single chiral selector (Teicoplanin) bonded to 2.7 μm core-shell particles using H 3 PO 4 in H 2 O/ACN and triethylammonium acetate: methanol based eluents at different isocratic compositions allowed good enatioseparation of all verubecestat intermediates. EE determination of verubecestat is easily performed on NicoShell, another macrocyclic glycopeptide chiral selector bonded to 2.7 μm superficially porous particles. This approach enables fast and reliable enantiopurity analysis of the entire verubecestat synthetic route using only two chiral columns and mobile phases on a conventional HPLC system, simplifying technical package preparation, method validation and transfer to manufacturing facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral natural product molecules are generally assumed to be biosynthesized in an enantiomerically pure or enriched fashion. Nevertheless, a significant amount of racemates or enantiomerically enriched mixtures has been reported from natural sources. This number is estimated to be even larger since the enantiomeric purity of secondary metabolites is rarely checked in the natural product isolation pipeline. This latter fact may have drastic effects on the evaluation of the biological activity of chiral natural products. A second bottleneck is the determination of their absolute configurations. Despite the widespread use of optical rotation and electronic circular dichroism, most of the stereochemical assignments are based on empirical correlations with similar compounds reported in the literature. As an alternative, the combination of vibrational circular dichroism and quantum chemical calculations has emerged as a powerful and reliable tool for both conformational and configurational analysis of natural products, even for those lacking UV-Vis chromophores. In this review, we aim to provide the reader with a critical overview of the occurrence of enantiomeric mixtures of secondary metabolites in nature as well the best practices for their detection, enantioselective separation using liquid chromatography, and determination of absolute configuration by means of vibrational circular dichroism and density functional theory calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chromatographic separation of ibuprofen enantiomers on a Nautilus-E chiral stationary phase with a grafted eremomycin antibiotic at high column loading is accompanied by distortion of the shape of chromatographic peaks. A model is proposed to explain this phenomenon. A number of factors are considered in the model: the ionization of ibuprofen in the mobile phase, the pH change in the mass transfer zone caused by ionization and competitive adsorption involving buffer components. Simulations performed using this model within the theory of nonequilibrium chromatography allow the shape of chromatograms for large amounts of S and R-ibuprofen samples to be predicted. The adsorption mechanism is found to be mainly ion-exchange. The contribution from the molecular adsorption of ibuprofen to the total retention is shown to be several percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of chirality in drug development is unquestionable, with chiral liquid chromatography (LC) being the most adequate technique for its analysis. Among the various types of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for LC, brush-type CSPs provide the base for interaction analysis of CSPs and enantiomers, which provide valuable results that can be applied to interaction studies of other CSP types. In order to analyze the influence of aromatic interactions in chiral recognition, we designed a set of ten new brush-type CSPs based on (S)-N-(1-aryl-propyl)-3,5-dinitrobenzamides which differ in the aromatic unit directly linked to the chiral center. Thirty diverse racemates, including several nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and 3-hydroxybenzodiazepine drugs, were used to evaluate the prepared CSPs. Chromatographic analysis showed that the three new CSPs separate enantiomers of a wide range of compounds and their chromatographic behavior is comparable to the most versatile brush-type CSP—Whelk-O1. The critical role of the nonbonding interactions in positioning of the analyte (naproxen) in the cleft of CSP-6, as well as the analysis of interactions that make enantioseparation possible, were elucidated using computational methods. Furthermore, the influence of acetic acid as a mobile phase additive, on this enantiorecognition process was corroborated by calculations.

More than 50% of pharmaceuticals in current use are chiral compounds. Enantiomers of the same pharmaceutical have identical physicochemical properties, but may exhibit differences in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and toxicity. The advancement in separation and detection methods has made it possible to analyze trace amounts of chiral compounds in environmental media. As a result, interest on chiral analysis and evaluation of stereoselectivity in environmental occurrence, phase distribution and degradation of chiral pharmaceuticals has grown substantially in recent years. Here we review recent studies on the analysis, occurrence, and fate of chiral pharmaceuticals in engineered and natural environments. Monitoring studies have shown ubiquitous presence of chiral pharmaceuticals in wastewater, surface waters, sediments, and sludge, particularly β-receptor antagonists, analgesics, antifungals, and antidepressants. Selective sorption and microbial degradation have been demonstrated to result in enrichment of one enantiomer over the other. The changes in enantiomer composition may also be caused by biologically catalyzed chiral inversion. However, accurate evaluation of chiral pharmaceuticals as trace environmental pollutants is often hampered by the lack of identification of the stereoconfiguration of enantiomers. Furthermore, a systematic approach including occurrence, fate and transport in various environmental matrices is needed to minimize uncertainties in risk assessment of chiral pharmaceuticals as emerging environmental contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zopiclone and its ( S )-enantiomer (eszopiclone) are commonly prescribed for insomnia. Despite the high demand for enantioselective differentiation, the chiral analysis of zopiclone in hair has not been reported. In this study, a method for the enantioselective quantification of zopiclone in human hair was developed. The extraction medium and duration were optimized using real eszopiclone-positive hair samples. Specifically, micropulverized extraction with 3.0 M ammonium phosphate buffer (pH 8.4) involving salting-out assisted liquid–liquid extraction with acetonitrile was utilized to minimize the degradation of zopiclone and for rapid and facile operation. On the other hand, recovery of the conventional solid-liquid extraction involved overnight soaking in 3.0 M ammonium phosphate buffer (pH 8.4) was only 0.58 ± 0.12% of the maximum recovery achieved by the present method due to the decomposition in the phosphate buffer. An excellent chiral separation ( R s = 5.0) was achieved using a chiral stationary phase comprising cellulose tris(3,5-dichlorophenylcarbamate) and a volatile mobile phase of 10 mM ammonium carbonate (pH 8.0)–acetonitrile (25:75, v/v). Detection was carried out using liquid chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) with electrospray ionization. A Q Exactive mass spectrometer equipped with a quadrupole–Orbitrap analyzer was used for detection. The concentration of 0.50 pg/mg was defined as the lowest limit of quantification using 5 mg of hair sample. Using the developed approach, the concentration of eszopiclone in hair after a single 2-mg dose was found to be 441 pg/mg, which was higher than all the reported values regarding a single administration of zopiclone. After daily administration of racemic zopiclone (3.75 mg/day), the concentrations of ( R )-enantiomer and ( S )-enantiomer in the black hair were 5.30–8.31 ng/mg and 7.96–12.8 ng/mg, respectively, and the concentration of the ( S )-enantiomer was always higher than that of the ( R )-enantiomer due to the enantioselective difference in the pharmacokinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the presence of micropollutants in the environment has been extensively studied due to their high frequency of occurrence, persistence and possible adverse effects to exposed organisms. Concerning chiral micropollutants in the environment, enantiomers are frequently ignored and enantiomeric composition often neglected. However, enantioselective toxicity is well recognized, highlighting the need to include enantioselectivity in environmental risk assessment. Additionally, the information about enantiomeric fraction (EF) is crucial since it gives insights about: (i) environmental fate (i.e., occurrence, distribution, removal processes and (bio)degradation); (ii) illicit discharges; (iii) consumption pattern (e.g., illicit drugs, pharmaceuticals used as recreational drugs, illicit use of pesticides); and (iv) enantioselective toxicological effects. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review about the enantioselective occurrence of chiral bioactive compounds in aquatic environmental matrices. These include pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic musks (PCMs). Most frequently analytical methods used for separation of enantiomers were liquid chromatography and gas chromatography methodologies using both indirect (enantiomerically pure derivatizing reagents) and direct methods (chiral stationary phases). The occurrence of these chiral micropollutants in the environment is reviewed and future challenges are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A LC-ESI(−)-HRMS method dedicated to the analysis of 6 HBCDD enantiomers at trace levels in animal matrices was developed, using a cellulose based stationary phase with a particle size of 2.5 μm. This method was applied to a sample set derived from a kinetic study of α-HBCDD previously conducted in fast- and slow-growing chickens ( Gallus gallus domesticus , n = 49, plus controls), in order to study the enantiomer specific accumulation and depuration of α-HBCDD in various tissues. Regarding abdominal adipose tissue, muscle and liver, the average enantiomeric fractions of α-HBCDD (EF α ) for continuously exposed groups ranged between 0.434 and 0.467, with standard deviations below 0.014, showing a significant enrichment in (−)α enantiomer even accentuated for slow growing individuals during depuration with EF α reduced by about 0.020. Similar trends were observed for pooled plasma. Then, EF α of circulating plasma α-HBCDD appeared to closely reflect EF α in storage tissues and liver, suggesting some equilibrium. The racemic elimination of α enantiomer in excreta during the contamination phase indicated that no preferential gastrointestinal absorption took place. By contrast, preferential excretion of (−)α-HBCDD from the circulating compartment to the intestinal lumen occurred during the depuration. Finally, the method was applied to samples collected in three chicken farms, selected for total HBCDD levels in muscle in the ng/g range, as a tool to determine whether the contamination occurred ante- or post-mortem, according to the chiral signature. Ante-mortem contamination was hypothesised for 2 farms, with feed being excluded as contamination source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chiral separation of d - and l - FMOC amino acids was undertaken using the Lux Cellulose-1 polysaccharide based chiral column in HPLC (normal phase and reverse phase) and SFC conditions. This was done to compare the relative selectivity and separation between the three separation modes and to evaluate the potential benefits of SFC separations with regards to resolution, throughput, economic and environmental impact. It was established that the separation of d - and l - FMOC amino acids in SFC displayed behaviours that were similar to both normal phase and reversed phase, rather than distinctly one or the other. Additionally, although reversed phase conditions yielded significantly higher resolution values between enantiomers across the range of amino acids studied, improvements in selectivity in SFC via the introduction of higher concentrations of formic acid in the mobile phase allowed for better resolution per unit of time. Moreover since the SFC mobile phase is composed mostly of recyclable CO 2 , there is a reduction in organic solvent consumption, which minimises the economic and environmental costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1,8-Cineole is a widely distributed odorant that also shows physiological effects, but whose human metabolism has hitherto not been extensively investigated. The aim of the present study was, thus, to characterise the metabolites of 1,8-cineole, identified previously in human milk, after the oral intake of 100 mg of this substance. Special emphasis was placed on the enantiomeric composition of the metabolites since these data may provide important insights into potential biotransformation pathways, as well as potential biological activities of these substances, for example on the breastfed child. The volatile fraction of the human milk samples was therefore isolated via Solvent Assisted Flavour Evaporation (SAFE) and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The absolute concentrations of each metabolite were determined by matrix calibration with an internal standard, and the ratios of enantiomers were analysed on chiral capillaries. The concentrations varied over a broad range, from traces in the upper ng/kg region up to 40 µg/kg milk, with the exception of the main metabolite α2-hydroxy-1,8-cineole that showed concentrations of 100–250 µg/kg. Also, large inter- and intra-individual variations were recorded for the enantiomers, with nearly enantiomerically pure α2-hydroxy- and 3-oxo-1,8-cineole, while all other metabolites showed ratios of ~30:70 to 80:20.

• The (+) enantiomers of the main phytocannabinoids were synthesized. • Enantioseparation was developed and optimized by chiral RP-HPLC-DAD-HRMS/MS. • Carboxylated phytocannabinoids were isolated from the unheated cannabis extract. • Decarboxylated phytocannabinoids were isolated from the heated cannabis extract. • Enantiomeric composition of all main phytocannabinoids was evaluated. The evaluation of the chiral composition of phytocannabinoids in the cannabis plant is particularly important as the pharmacological effects of the (+) and (-) enantiomers of these compounds are completely different. Chromatographic attempts to assess the presence of the minor (+) enantiomers of the main phytocannabinoids, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and trans -Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (trans -Δ9-THCA), were carried out on heated plant extracts for the determination of the corresponding decarboxylated species, cannabidiol (CBD) and trans -Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (trans -Δ9-THC), respectively. This process produces an altered phytocannabinoid composition with several new and unknown decomposition products. The present work reports for the first time the stereoselective synthesis of the pure (+) enantiomers of the main phytocannabinoids, trans -CBDA, trans -Δ9-THCA, trans -CBD and trans -Δ9-THC, and the development and optimization of an achiral-chiral liquid chromatography method coupled to UV and high-resolution mass spectrometry detection in reversed phase conditions (RP-HPLC-UV-HRMS) for the isolation of the single compounds and evaluation of their actual enantiomeric composition in plant. The isolation of the peaks with the achiral stationary phase ensured the absence of interferences that could potentially co-elute with the analytes of interest in the chiral analysis. The method applied to the Italian medicinal cannabis variety FM2 revealed no trace of the (+) enantiomers for all phytocannabinoids under investigation before and after decarboxylation, thus suggesting that the extraction procedure does not lead to an inversion of configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed chiral sorbent based on silica with immobilized macrocyclic antibiotics eremomycin and vancomycin was synthesized. A possibility of the separation of enantiomers of β-blockers (metoprolol, pindolol, alprenolol, oxprenolol, labetalol, and atenolol) and amino acids (tryptophan, phenylalanine, DOPA, methionine, and acetyl glutamic acid) on this chiral sorbent by HPLC was studied. The influence of the composition of the mobile phase (pH of buffer solution, its concentration, content of organic modifier, and its nature) on the retention times of β-blocker and amino acid enantiomers, selectivity, and resolution of peaks was studied. It was shown that the mixed chiral sorbent has enantioselectivity to both classes of compounds, while silica modified with vancomycin has no ability to the separation of enantiomers of non-derivatized amino acids, and silica modified with eremomycin has no ability to the separation of β-blocker enantiomers. High values of resolution for amino acids (max Rs > 4) and β-blockers (max Rs > 1) were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both enantiomers of 4 -( 3 -chloro- 2 -hydroxypropoxy)phenyl)acetamide has been synthesized in 98.5–99% enantiomeric excess by use of lipase B from Candida antarctica as catalyst. The R -alcohol is a building block for the cardioselective β-blocker ( S )-atenolol ((S)- 2 -( 4 -( 2 -hydroxy- 3 -(isopropylamino)propoxy)phenyl)acetamide . Performing kinetic resolutions of 3-chloro-1-phenoxy-2-propanol and 3-bromo-1-phenoxy-2-propanol with vinyl butanoate as acyl donor and the same CALB enzyme, but a different preparation, showed higher E -values than previously reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost all Iridium(III) complexes employed both as dopants in PhOLEDs and as pharmaceuticals and fluorescence bioprobes are racemic mixtures. In this study the single enantiomers of the most stable diastereomeric form fac-trans-N–N , bis[2-(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridinato-C 2 , N ](picolinato)iridium(III) (FIrpic) were separated and analysed. The data obtained showed that the complex can be separated into stable optically active Λ and Δ isomers employing cellulose based chiral stationary phase both in normal and polar phase mode. Their chirality was confirmed and their absolute configuration assigned employing several methods (DFT and TDDFT calculations, CD and VCD). The CPL spectroscopy of the isolated enantiomers of FIrpic was also recorded due to its possible value in the OLEDs field. The chromatographic method was applied for a semipreparative purpose demonstrating that polar organic solvent chromatography (POSC) could be used to avoid the low-solubility issues associated with these Iridium(III) complexes. Finally, the chemical and stereochemical stability of the single isomers was evaluated under thermal stress by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF) on both chiral and achiral columns. No racemization and/or isomerization was observed; however, the dissociation of the ancillary ligand was demonstrated employing LC-QTOF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regioisomers and enantiomers of triacylglycerols (TAGs) containing any combination of stearidonic (18:4n-3) and octadecapentaenoic (18:5n-3) acids were prepared by organic synthesis. Gradient polar organic liquid chromatography/high resolution atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (NARP-LC/HRMS 2 -APCI) and chiral liquid chromatography were used for the separation and identification of molecular species of these TAGs. Further, NARP-LC and chiral LC were used to separate natural mixtures of TAGs obtained from the haptophyte alga Coccolithophora sp. cultivated in a salinity range from 7.5 to 60‰. The ratio of regioisomers and enantiomers was found to change with increasing salinity of the culture medium. This can be explained by variable activity of acyltransferases in cells exposed to salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ChirBase, a database for the chromatographic separation of enantiomers containing more than 200,000 records compiled from the literature, was used to develop quantitative structure activity models for the prediction of which chiral stationary phase will work for the separation of a given molecule. Constructuion of QSAR models for the enantioseparation of nineteen chiral stationary phases was attempted using only analyte structural information, leading to the producton of self-consistent models in four cases. These models were tested by predicting which in-house racemic compounds would and would not be resolved on the different columns. Some degree of success was observed, but the sparseness of data within ChirBase, which contains enantioseparations for only a subset of molecules on a subset of columns under a variety of conditions may limit the creation of effective models. Augmented data sets gleaned from automated chromatographic method development systems deployed in academic and industrial research laboratories or the use of models that take other factors such as solvent composition, temperature, etc. into account could potentially be useful for the development of more robust models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply matched molecular pair (MMP) analysis to data from ChirBase, which contains literature reports of chromatographic enantioseparations. For the 19 chiral stationary phases we examined, we were able to identify 289 sets of pairs where there is a statistically significant and consistent difference in enantioseparation due to a small chemical change. In many cases these changes highlight enantioselectivity differences between pairs or small families of closely related molecules that have for many years been used to probe the mechanisms of chromatographic chiral recognition; for example, the comparison of N-H vs. N-Me analytes to determine the criticality of an N-H hydrogen bond in chiral molecular recognition. In other cases, statistically significant MMPs surfaced by the analysis are less familiar or somewhat puzzling, sparking a need to generate and test hypotheses to more fully understand. Consequently, mining of appropriate datasets using MMP analysis provides an important new approach for studying and understanding the process of chromatographic enantioseparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensitive, accurate and reliable bioanalytical method for the enantioselective determination of metoprolol in plasma and saliva samples utilizing liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed and validated. Human plasma and saliva samples were pretreated by microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) prior to analysis. A new MEPS syringe form with two inputs was used. Metoprolol enantiomers and internal standard pentycaine (IS) were eluted from MEPS sorbent using isopropanol after removal of matrix interferences using aliquots of 5% methanol in water. Complete separation of metoprolol enantiomers was achieved on a Cellulose-SB column (150 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) using isocratic elution with mobile phase 0.1% ammonium hydroxide in hexane-isopropanol (80:20, v/v) with a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. A post-column solvent-assisted ionization was applied to enhance metoprolol ionization signal in positive mode monitoring (+ES) using 0.5% formic acid in isopropanol at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min. The total chromatographic run time was 10 min for each injection. The detection of metoprolol in plasma and saliva samples was performed using triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer in +ES under the following mass transitions: m/ z 268.08 → 72.09 for metoprolol and m/ z 303.3 → 154.3 for IS. The linearity range was 2.5-500 ng/mL for both R- and S-metoprolol in plasma and saliva. The limits of detection and quantitation for both enantiomers were 0.5 and 2.5 ng/mL respectively, in both matrices (plasma and saliva). The intra- and inter-day precisions were presented in terms of RSD values for replicate analysis of quality control samples and were <5%; the accuracy of determinations varied from 96 to 99%. The method was able to determine the therapeutic levels of metoprolol enantiomers in both human plasma and saliva samples successfully, which can aid in therapeutic drug monitoring in clinical laboratories. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A “heart-cut” two-dimensional achiral-chiral liquid chromatography triple-quadrupole mass spectrometry method (LC–LC–MS/MS) was developed and coupled to in vivo cerebral microdialysis to evaluate the brain response to the chiral compound (±)-7-chloro-5-(3-furanyl)-3-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2 H -1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide ((±)- 1 ), a potent positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of AMPA receptor. The method was successfully employed to evaluate also its stereoselective metabolism and in vitro biological activity. In particular, the LC achiral method developed, employs a pentafluorinated silica based column (Discovery HS-F5) to separate dopamine, acetylcholine, serotonin, (±)- 1 and its two hepatic metabolites. In the “heart-cut” two-dimension achiral-chiral configuration, (±)- 1 and (±)- 1 - d 4 eluted from the achiral column (1st dimension), were transferred to a polysaccharide-based chiral column (2nd dimension, Chiralcel OD-RH) by using an automatic six-port valve. Single enantiomers of (±)- 1 were separated and detected using electrospray positive ionization mode and quantified in selected reaction monitoring mode. The method was validated and showed good performance in terms of linearity, accuracy and precision. The new method employed showed several possible applications in the evaluation of: (a) brain response to neuroactive compounds by measuring variations in the brain extracellular levels of selected neurotransmitters and other biomarkers; (b) blood brain barrier penetration of drug candidates by measuring the free concentration of the drug in selected brain areas; (c) the presence of drug metabolites in the brain extracellular fluid that could prove very useful during drug discovery; (d) a possible stereoselective metabolization or blood brain barrier stereoselective crossing of chiral drugs. Finally, compared to the methods reported in the literature, this technique avoids the necessity of euthanizing an animal at each time point to measure drug concentration in whole brain tissue and provides continuous monitoring of extracellular concentrations of single chiral drug enantiomers along with its metabolites in specific brain regions at each selected time point for a desired period by using a single animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel multi-residue enantioselective method utilising a CBH (cellobiohydrolase) column, for the analysis of 56 drug biomarkers in wastewater. These are: opioid analgesics, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, stimulants, anaesthetics, sedatives, anxiolytics, designer drugs, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors, amphetamine and methamphetamine drug precursors. Satisfactory enantiomeric separation was obtained for 18 pairs of enantiomers including amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) and its metabolites HMA (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine) and HMMA (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-methamphetamine), PMA (para-methoxyamphetamine), MDA ((±)- 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine) and mephedrone. The method was applied in a one week monitoring study of a large wastewater treatment plant in the UK. Most target drugs were found at quantifiable concentrations in analysed samples. Enantiomeric profiling revealed that amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA were found enriched with R-(−)-enantiomers, probably due to their stereoselective metabolism favouring S-(+)-enantiomers. MDA was either enriched with R-(−)- or S-(+)-enantiomer indicating that its presence might be due to either abuse of racemic MDA or abuse of racemic MDMA respectively. Non-racemic enantiomeric fractions were also observed in the case of HMMA and mephedrone suggesting enantioselective metabolism. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time chiral separation and wastewater profiling of mephedrone, PMA, MDMA and its metabolites HMA and HMMA have been reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of the pH of aqueous–ethanol mobile phases on the retention and adsorption thermodynamics of the optical isomers of several α-phenylcarboxylic acids on a chiral stationary phase “Nautilus-E” with a grafted antibiotic, eremomycin, was studied. It was determined that ionic interactions dominated in the retention of α-phenylcarboxylic acid enantiomers. It was revealed that the Nautilus-E adsorbent was most selective to acids, the adsorption of which is an enthalpy-controlled process. It was found that the nature of adsorption was changed by varying the eluent pH. The dissociation constants of α-phenylcarboxylic acids have been determined by chromatographic method in aqueous–ethanol solution. A statistical analysis of the phenomenon of enthalpy-entropy compensation was performed, and a manifestation of the false compensation effect was established. It was shown that the spatial configuration of the molecule and the presence of polar groups on a chiral carbon atom in its structure have a greater influence on the chiral recognition mechanism of acid enantiomers using the Nautilus-E CSP. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Stereoselectivity in drug metabolism can not only influence the pharmacological activities, tolerability, safety, and bioavailability of drugs directly, but also cause different kinds of drug–drug interactions. Thus, assessing stereoselectivity in drug metabolism is of great significance for pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) and rational use in clinic. Although there are various methods available for assessing stereoselectivity in drug metabolism, many of them have shortcomings. The indirect method of chromatographic methods can only be applicable to specific samples with functional groups to be derivatized or form complex with a chiral selector, while the direct method achieved by chiral stationary phases (CSPs) is expensive. As a detector of chromatographic methods, mass spectrometry (MS) is highly sensitive and specific, whereas the matrix interference is still a challenge to overcome. In addition, the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and immunoassay in chiral analysis are worth noting. This review presents several typical examples of drug stereoselective metabolism and provides a literature-based evaluation on current chiral analytical techniques to show the significance and challenges of stereoselectivity assessing methods in drug metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics simulations are employed to examine the selectivity of four proline-based chiral stationary phases in two solvent environments, a relatively apolar n -hexane/2-propanol solvent and a polar water/methanol solvent. The four chiral surfaces are based on a BOC-terminated diproline, a TMA-terminated diproline, a TMA-terminated triproline and a TMA-terminated hexaproline. This range of chiral selectors allows an analysis of the impact of oligomer length and terminal group on selectivity while the two solvent environments indicate the impact of solvent hydrogen bonding and polarity. The selector–analyte interactions are examined for six closely related analytes that each have an aromatic moiety, a hydrogen, and an alcohol group directly bonded to the stereocenter. The analytes differ in the nature of the aromatic group (phenyl or anthracyl), in the attachment point (to the central ring or a side ring in the anthracyl), and in the fourth group bonded to the carbon (CH 3 , CF 3 , or C 2 H 5 ). For each of the 48 solvent + selector + analyte systems, selectivity factors are calculated and, when possible, compared to experiment. The docking mode for these proline-based selectors is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-C-Methyltetritols, or 2-methyl-1,2,3,4-butanetetraols, which exist as four stereoisomers, are found to be present in the atmosphere above the Amazonian rainforest. 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol was originally isolated fromConvolvulus glomeratusand later synthesized enantiomerically pure. It has been claimed that these compounds are produced from isoprene by radical oxidation in the atmosphere. More recently, detailed analysis has shown that the mixture of stereoisomers from forests in both Brazil and Sweden contains unequal amounts of enantiomers. This shows that the oxidation must be due to enzymatic activity in plants. A review of the history of these compounds, synthesis and the significance of stereochemistry is given. Moreover, the significance of 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol for the non-mevalonate route to isoprenoids is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Atropisomerism can be a complex concept for those who have not encountered it before. This paper discusses the experiments for identification, isolation, thermal stability, toxicity and biotransformation of various species. The identified atropisomers are a series of rotational hindered biaryl, rotational hindered amide, ring flip, and macrocycles atropisomers identified using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). These technologies offered the advantage of separating various atropoenantiomers, atropdiastereomers and mixed atropisomers with other forms of stereoisomers in both analytical and preparative scales. With ultra-performance convergence chromatography (UPC 2 ), the detection of N -oxide atropisomer metabolites can be obtained at very low level thus enabling the observation of conversion in human plasma possible. As the resolution of atropisomers are related to the energy barriers on the rotational axis, a calculated computational protocol was developed to predict the formation. A threshold of 10 kcal/mol was established for possible detection of the atropisomers’ existence with chromatographic technologies at room temperature or above. The atropisomer with higher energy barrier (>20 kcal/mol) were isolated via preparative chromatography and the isolates studied in vitro and in vivo for evaluation of their stability in human plasma. The detailed analytical method development to analyze the biotransformation of the atropisomers in human plasma are also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]