Knowledge-based system for method development of chiral separations with capillary electrophoresis using highly-sulphated cyclodextrins

Method development for chiral separations is not easy because it requires experience and many experimental possibilities can be chosen. In order to help the analyst, a knowledge-based system (KBS) for the rapid determination of experimental parameters, which allow a baseline separation of enantiomers, has been developed. On the basis of own laboratory knowledge, completed with literature data, rules were defined and a KBS was built. Five different techniques are considered in this KBS. This paper describes the capillary electrophoresis (CE) section, in which a strategy has been defined based on the use of highly-sulfated cyclodextrins as chiral selectors. A structured representation of the knowledge and its implementation in Toolbook software is presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.