A new N-acyl derivative of (S)-cysteine for quantitative determination of enantiomers of amino compounds by HPLC with a precolumn modification with o-phthalaldehyde

N-Phenylacetyl-(R)-phenylglycyl-(S)-cysteine (NPPC) was used for the determination of enantiomers of primary amines by rpHPLC with a precolumn modification with o-phthalaldehyde. NPPC was compared with the classic SH reagent N-acetyl-(S)-cysteine (NAC) in the analysis of stereomers of nonfunctionalized amines and amino alcohols. After the NAC-modification, the resulting diastereomeric isoindoles were difficult to separate by HPLC, and satisfactory resolution was achieved only for some aliphatic amino alcohols. The use of NPPC improved the chromatographic analysis of stereomeric amino alcohols and, in addition, allowed the enantiomeric analysis of the nonfunctionalized amines. Similarity between the side radicals of the amino component and the thiol reagent favored the diastereomer separation. This method was used for determination of the absolute concentration of individual enantiomers of amines in the course of stereoselective enzymatic reactions. The optically active NPPC was prepared with a high yield by a chemoenzymatic synthesis based on a regioselective acylation of the (S)-cysteine amino group in aqueous medium by the action of penicillin acylase.