Microwave-assisted preparation of a vancomycin modified open tubular capillary electrochromatography column for chiral separation

Abstract

A vancomycin chiral stationary phase modified open tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC) column has been prepared using a microwave irradiation method. Compared with the use of conventional heating, the microwave-assisted process improved the efficiency of the synthesis, led to a significant increase in the rate of the reaction, and reduced the preparation time from 12 h to 55 min. Four aromatic racemates were selected as model compounds to evaluate the performance of the vancomycin modified OT-CEC column. Using the optimized conditions, all four of these racemic compounds were successfully separated with a baseline resolution (R_S) of more than 1.75. These results demonstrated that the vancomycin modified OT-CEC column prepared using the microwave-assisted process possessed excellent chiral recognition properties towards aromatic racemates, as well as showed good levels of stability and repeatability. This column is therefore suitable for use in chiral separations by CEC.