REVERSED-PHASE HPLC SEPARATION OF THE ENANTIOMERS OF DENOPAMINE AFTER DERIVATIZATION WITH GITC CHIRAL REAGENT

A reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed to determine the optical purity of denopamine, which is a new cardiotonic agent having an asymmetric carbon in a molecule. The enantiomers were converted to diastereomeric thiourea derivatives using 2,3,4,6-Tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl isothiocyanate (GITC) reagent. Separation of the enantiomers of denopamine as diastereomers was successfully achieved by reversed-phase HPLC within 10 min using an ODS column and UV detection. Derivatization of denopamine proceeded rapidly under the alkaline conditions and the ambient temperature. This method was applied to the determination of the optical purity of denopamine drug substances and those in tablets. The favorable UV absorption of the derivatives enabled the optical antipode to be determined down to the 0.2% level. © 1990 Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Verlagsgesellschaft mbH.