Enantiomeric separation of FMOC-amino acids by nano-LC and CEC using a new chiral stationary phase, cellulose tris(3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate).

Abstract

A novel polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phase (CSP), cellulose tris(3-chloro-4-methylphenylcarbamate), also known as Sepapak-2 or Lux Cellulose-2, has been evaluated for the enantiomeric separation of FMOC derivatives of amino acids. After mobile-phase optimization in nano liquid chromatography (nano-LC) the column enabled the enantiomeric separation of 19 out of 23 amino acids tested, indicating the high chiral recognition power of this new CSP. Subsequently, a comparison of the driving force employed (pressure or voltage) was carried out comparing nano-LC and CEC under the same conditions. Better peak efficiencies and resolution were observed by using CEC experiments, which enabled the chiral discrimination of 20 out of 23 amino acids tested. Finally, in order to show the potential of this new CSP, the determination of the content and the enantiomeric purity of the non-protein amino acid citrulline in food supplements was performed. For that purpose, the method was optimized, evaluated and applied to different commercial samples.