Effect of fabrication strategy on the enantioseparation performance of β-cyclodextrin-functionalized polymethacrylate monoliths: A comparative evaluation

To evaluate the effect of the preparation strategy on the enantioseparation performance of β-cyclodextrin-functionalized monoliths, a series of β-cyclodextrin-functionalized organic polymeric monolithic columns were prepared through two-step, single-step, and one-pot approaches, using the same cyclodextrin, linker-spacer, and crosslinker. Physicochemical characterization of the columns was carried out by determining the morphology, β-cyclodextrin density, permeability, and chromatographic efficiency. For each type of monolithic column, the enantioresolution of 22 chiral compounds, including mandelic acid derivatives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, N-derivatized amino acids, and herbicides, was comparatively studied under optimum chromatographic conditions. The β-cyclodextrin-functionalized monolithic columns prepared through the one-pot approach exhibited higher enantioresolution for most chiral compounds, and they have the advantage of good controllability and simple preparation. On the other hand, the enantioresolution obtained on columns prepared through the single-step approach was quite unsatisfactory, and therefore the effect of using different linking spacers and crosslinkers was studied. A significant improvement of enantioresolution for 2-chloro-mandelic acid was obtained by using N,N-methylenebisacrylamide instead of ethylene dimethacrylate as the crosslinker in the single-step preparation.