Chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis: Present state of the art

Abstract

Capillary electrophoresis is a powerful tool for chiral separation of ionogenic enantiomers in solutions. This article brings an overview of the theory of electrophoretic separations with special emphasis on enantiomer – chiral selector equilibria, followed by a survey of indirect separations, based on formation of diastereomers with different electrophoretic mobilities, and a comprehensive appraisal of direct separations when the chiral recognition stems from (i) hostguest interactions using cyclodextrins and crown ethers as hosting agents, (ii) ligand exchange mechanism, (iii) affinity interactions or (iv) a combination of solute – chiral selector interactions with micellar electrophoretic transport. Finally, some trends in chiral separations by capillary electrophoresis are discussed.