Enantioseparation by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography

The extraordinary advancement in developing highly efficient packing materials for liquid chromatography (LC) has only partly touched chiral separations due, in part, to practical problems in synthesis and functionalization of sub-2-mu m particles with chiral selectors, and, in part, to the lack of clear understanding of mass-transfer mechanisms in chiral chromatography. However, there is increasing demand for ultrafast chiral separations, mainly from fine chemical and pharmaceutical companies. This review revisits the most important achievements in enantioselective ultra-high-performance LC (eUHPLC) by focusing, in particular, on brush-type chiral stationary phases, as they are the most promising materials for transition from traditional high-performance LC (HPLC) to ultra-high-speed and ultrahigh-pressure regimes. We also attempt to predict possible future trends and solutions that will contribute to making eUHPLC a routine technique in analytical laboratories. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.