SEPARATION OF POSITIONAL ISOMERS AND ENANTIOMERS USING CAPILLARY ZONE ELECTROPHORESIS WITH NEUTRAL AND CHARGED CYCLODEXTRINS

Capillary zone electrophoresis is a highly efficient analytical technique that has been shown to be particularly useful for the analysis of isomers. The neutral chiral host compound beta-cyclodextrin is capable of resolving analytes that possess charged functional groups. The enantiomers of two cyclic amines are resolved in a single run using a background electrolyte containing beta-cyclodextrin at pH 2.7, conditions under which the compounds are positively charged. In order to resolve the enantiomers of neutral analytes, it is necessary to use a chiral selector capable of being ionised, and examples are given of the separation of neutral positional isomers and enantiomers using a carboxymethylethyl-beta-cyclodextrin at high pH.