Application of heparin to chiral separations of antihistamines by capillary electrophoresis.

A study of the chiral separations of antihistamines, including pheniramine, chlorpheniramine, brompheniramine, carbinoxamine and doxylamine in capillary electrophoresis (CE) was accomplished using heparin as a chiral additive (CA) and phosphate buffer as the background electrolyte. Several factors were shown to affect both the selectivity and the migration time, including concentration of heparin, concentration of buffer, and the pH. A dual mechanism involving both inclusion complexation and ionic interactions with heparin is thought to be responsible for the chiral recognition. In the pH range of 2.6-3.5 and reversed polarity, baseline resolutions were obtained using a wide range of buffer and heparin concentrations. Typically, chiral resolution was obtained within 50 min.