| abstract |
Chiral surfactants, methods for their synthesis and use, and apparatus designed to facilitate chiral separations using micellar capillary electrophoresis is disclosed. A chiral surfactant having general formula (I) is described. R1 is the hydrophobic tail, Y-A-X is the linker, the brackets define a chiral center, and the hydrophilic head group is Z. All the various components may potentiate the enantioselectivity of the chiral surfactant. The capillary electrophoresis (CE) system includes a narrow diameter capillary, a high voltage power supply, an electrolyte reservoir at each end of the capillary, a means for injecting a sample, and a detector. Chiral surfactants are dissolved in the electrolyte above their critical micelle concentration (cmc), resulting in the formation of chiral micelles. The elecrolyte reservoirs and capillary tube are filled with the electrolyte. A sample containing a mixture of enantiomers is then injected into the capillary, and a high voltage potential is applied across the capillary. The sample components migrate through the capillary due to the influence of the applied electric field. An example separation of the four stereoisomers of aspartame is shown. |