Inherent enantioselective adsorption and photocatalytic removal of l-phenylalanine on cerium phosphate films

Abstract

Chiral-surface interactions are of immense importance in the field of enantioseparation, as a way of obtaining chirally-pure compounds. Films of both rhabdophane and monazite-phase cerium phosphate in a silica binder were found to exhibit enantioselective adsorption of the chiral amino acid phenylalanine, purifying racemic solutions to 100% of the D-enantiomer. Likewise, using the photocatalytic properties of cerium phosphate led to enriching racemic mixtures to a D–L ratio of 9 : 1.