Chapter 3
Enantiomer-Selective High- and UltraHigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography
The analytical separation technologies with most applications to enantiomerselective chromatographic separations are high-performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC) and the more advanced ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography
(UHPLC) based on stationary phases with particles <3 μm of size. Enhanced
chromatographic resolutions by applying ultrafine particulates as stationary phase
were already demanded during the 1990s and early 2000s by industry and method
developers. As a consequence, new robust ultrahigh-pressure pumps for liquid
chromatography were developed by the instrument producers allowing constant
high-pressure flow (max pressure ca. 1000 bar). This new UHPLC pump and
chromatographic separation systems are characterised by an increased chromatographic resolution compared to earlier HPLC units (from 1000 to ca. 80,000 numbers (n) of theoretical plates (Howard et al. 2012; Cielecka-Piontek et al. 2013;
Denoroy et al. 2013; Forcisi et al. 2013; O’Mahony et al. 2013; Jakimska et al. 2014;
Nishi and Nagamatsu 2014; de Villiers et al. 2016).
Due to the wide application range, robustness and reliability of modern instrumentation, modern standard HPLC and advanced UHPLC today play a major role in
chemical product development (i.e. industrial chemistry, pesticides and medical
product development), preparative separation, quality control, process analysis and
environmental trace analysis including the separation of chiral chemicals into their
enantiomers. However, before discussing the basics of enantiomer-selective liquid
chromatography in environmental applications, we will repeat (for the reason of
completeness) a brief and general introduction into the principles of HPLC already
presented in the earlier edition. For a more detailed view on this matter, we refer to
standard textbooks and reviews on the principles of liquid chromatography (Barceló
1996; Cappiello 2007; Subramanian 2007; Simpson et al. 2009; Cappiello and
Palma 2018).
Liquid chromatographic separation (HPLC and UHPLC) methods can roughly be
separated into two types depending on the solvent-column combination used.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Kallenborn et al., Chiral Environmental Pollutants,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62456-9_3
29
Enantiomer-Selective High- and UltraHigh-Performance Liquid Chromatography
The analytical separation technologies with most applications to enantiomerselective chromatographic separations are high-performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC) and the more advanced ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography
(UHPLC) based on stationary phases with particles <3 μm of size. Enhanced
chromatographic resolutions by applying ultrafine particulates as stationary phase
were already demanded during the 1990s and early 2000s by industry and method
developers. As a consequence, new robust ultrahigh-pressure pumps for liquid
chromatography were developed by the instrument producers allowing constant
high-pressure flow (max pressure ca. 1000 bar). This new UHPLC pump and
chromatographic separation systems are characterised by an increased chromatographic resolution compared to earlier HPLC units (from 1000 to ca. 80,000 numbers (n) of theoretical plates (Howard et al. 2012; Cielecka-Piontek et al. 2013;
Denoroy et al. 2013; Forcisi et al. 2013; O’Mahony et al. 2013; Jakimska et al. 2014;
Nishi and Nagamatsu 2014; de Villiers et al. 2016).
Due to the wide application range, robustness and reliability of modern instrumentation, modern standard HPLC and advanced UHPLC today play a major role in
chemical product development (i.e. industrial chemistry, pesticides and medical
product development), preparative separation, quality control, process analysis and
environmental trace analysis including the separation of chiral chemicals into their
enantiomers. However, before discussing the basics of enantiomer-selective liquid
chromatography in environmental applications, we will repeat (for the reason of
completeness) a brief and general introduction into the principles of HPLC already
presented in the earlier edition. For a more detailed view on this matter, we refer to
standard textbooks and reviews on the principles of liquid chromatography (Barceló
1996; Cappiello 2007; Subramanian 2007; Simpson et al. 2009; Cappiello and
Palma 2018).
Liquid chromatographic separation (HPLC and UHPLC) methods can roughly be
separated into two types depending on the solvent-column combination used.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Kallenborn et al., Chiral Environmental Pollutants,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62456-9_3
29