Facile one-pot synthesis of beta-cyclodextrin-polymer- modified Fe3O4 microspheres for stereoselective absorption of amino acid compounds

beta-Cyclodextrin-polymer-modified Fe3O4 microspheres were synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal method, with a beta-cyclodextrin polymer as the surfactant. Investigation of the effects of the reaction time and the amount of beta-cyclodextrin polymer on the formation of functionalized microspheres suggested that the main factor affecting the microsphere size was the amount of beta-cyclodextrin polymer, rather than the reaction time. The obtained beta-cyclodextrin-polymer-modified Fe3O4 microspheres were characterized using various methods. The results indicated that the functionalized magnetic microspheres were spherical, dispersible and had high saturation magnetization. The beta-cyclodextrin-polymer-modified Fe3O4 microspheres were used for stereoselective absorption of DL-tryptophan enantiomers. The results suggested that the functionalized magnetic microspheres absorbed more L-tryptophan and had chiral discrimination ability, and can therefore be used as a stereoselective absorbent for chiral analysis.