Effect of Steric Hindrance on the Resolution of the Enantiomers of Alkyl Isothiocyanate Derivatives of Amino Acids on a Teicoplanin CSP Using a Methanol-Based Mobile Phase

Abstract

The effect of steric hindrance on the resolution of the enantiomers of alkyl (i.e. methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, and tert-butyl) isothiocyanate derivatives of amino acids on a teicoplanin chiral stationary phase (CSP), with a methanol-based mobile phase, has been studied. Resolution was found to depend on the size of the alkyl group attached to the isothiocyanate reagent and deteriorated as the size of the group increased from methyl to tert-butyl under the same chromatographic conditions. This indicates that interaction between the isothiocyanate group and the chiral selector is important in chiral recognition. Better-than-baseline resolution was achieved for many amino acids with a basic amino or an amide group, for example histidine, lysine, arginine, and asparagine, because of increased solubility in the mobile phase after chemical derivatization.