A mixed stationary phase containing two versatile cyclodextrin-based selectors for the simultaneous gas chromatographic enantioseparation of racemic alkanes and racemic α-amino acid derivatives

In an effort to simultaneously enantioseparate racemic unfunctionalized alkanes and racemic alpha-amino acid derivatives by gas chromatography (GC) in forthcoming experiments related to the search for extraterrestrial homochirality. the two versatile modified cyclodextrin (CD) selectors octakis(6-O-methyl-2,3-di-O-pentyl)-gamma-cyclodextrin (Lipodex G) and heptakis(2,3-di-O-methyl-6-O-tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-beta-cyclodextrin were dissolved in a polysiloxane and the mixed binary chiral selector system was coated onto a 50 m x 0.25 mm i.d. fused silica capillary column. Whereas the former CD selector enantioseparates racemic unfunctionalized alkanes the latter CD selector preferentially resolves N-(O,S)-trifluoroacetyl-alpha-amino acid alkyl esters. With both CD selectors employed as mixed binary chiral selector system present in one chiral stationary phase (CSP), the simultaneous gas chromatographic enantioseparation of racemic alkanes and of racemic derivatized alpha-amino acids is achieved in a single temperature-programmed run. Also for other classes of racemic compounds, the scope of enantioseparation could be extended as compared to the conventional use of the single CD selectors in GC. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.