Resolution of chiral barbiturates into enantiomers by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using methylated beta-cyclodextrins.

The correlation between the capacity factors of enantiomers of chiral barbiturates and the concentrations of beta-cyclodextrin, heptakis(2,6-di-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin and heptakis(2,3,6-tri-O-methyl)-beta-cyclodextrin dissolved in the mobile phase was studied using LiChrosorb RP-18 as the stationary phase. Owing to the very strong adsorption of permethylated beta-cyclodextrin on the ODS surface a chiral stationary phase is generated dynamically and forms complexes with the solutes; this mechanism has been found to be the only factor responsible for the chiral recognition of the investigated compounds at all applied concentrations. The inclusion of barbiturates in the cavities of permethylated beta-cyclodextrin involves a distinct and entirely new kind of enantioselectivity compared with that observed for beta-cyclodextrin and its dimethyl derivative. Using permethylated beta-cyclodextrin baseline resolutions have been obtained with barbiturates containing a chiral centre in the heterocyclic ring or in the aliphatic side-chain.