The on-line determination of the enantiomeric purity of enzymatically produced chiral compounds

Abstract

A prototype of a coupled-column chromatographic system has been developed to determine the enantiomeric purity of enzymatically produced chiral compounds. In this system, an immobilized enzyme HPLC reactor based upon α-chymotrypsin (ACHT-IMER) was linked through a switching valve to a chromatographic column containing a crown ether-based chiral stationary phase (CR-CSP). Although ACHT is normally stereospecific for the L-enantiomorphs of aromatic amino acids, L-tryptophan (L-TRP), L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine, we were able to achieve the hydrolysis of D-TRP methyl and ethyl esters on the ACHT-IMER. The percent of hydrolysis of the D-TRP esters could be manipulated by varying the resident time in the ACHT-IMER. In a series of experiments, D,L-TRP methyl or ethyl esters were injected into the ACHT-IMER, the flow stopped and after resuming the flow, the eluent which contained the hydrolyzed aminoacids, D- and L-TRP, was switched onto the CR-CSP where the enantiomeric composition of the TRP peak was determined. This configuration is a model for other IMER/CSP coupled-column systems which can be used for analytical and preparative applications.