Chapter 5
Enantiomer-Selective High-Resolution Gas
Chromatography (esHRGC)
Capillary gas chromatography (cG) has been an important separation technique for
enantioselective chromatography from the early beginning of this research field in
analytical chemistry. A number of early reports illustrate the importance of this
separation technology for enantiomer separation. The relevance of enantioselective
high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) is summarised in several early monographs and review articles. A general survey is given in the earlier monographs by
König (1987, 1992) and in recent review articles (Wong 2006; Xie and Yuan 2017;
Gumustas et al. 2018), while the aspect “enantioselective gas chromatography of
chiral environmental pollutants” was comprehensively introduced in earlier review
articles (Hühnerfuss and Kallenborn 1992; Hühnerfuss 2000; Wong 2006). An
extensive review of chiral stationary phases known until 1982 was first introduced
by Liu and Ku (Liu and Ku 1983). Recent updates complement the comprehensive
picture of all commercially available and tailor-made CSPs (Schurig 2001; Schurig
2010; Xiao et al. 2012; Peluso et al. 2014; Grajek et al. 2016). However, the recently
reported updates are mainly reporting on modified CSPs originally reported already
in the 1980s and 1990s. Only a few recent new developments are worth mentioning.
Inorganic materials are currently in the focus as CSPs for gas chromatographic
separation of enantiomers. Highly ordered mesoporous inorganic materials, usually
silica-based, have proven to be effective stationary phases for high-temperature gas
chromatographic separations. Materials like ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) can
be created in all sorts of structural assemblies by applying template-based pathways.
Usually, this type of silica is synthesised using non-ionic and cationic surfactants as
the templates (Li et al. 2018). Chiral OMS has been recently developed using
helically twisted templates. Thus, a helically twisted hexagonal rod-like morphology
(creating a nano-sized cavity) provides the homochiral environment, required for
enantiomer-selective property of the CSP. The application of these CSPs for highresolution gas chromatographic separation has been successful for a variety of chiral
compounds like the simultaneous separation of several chiral alcohols, carboxylic
acids, esters, limonene, etc. (Li et al. 2018).
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Kallenborn et al., Chiral Environmental Pollutants,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62456-9_5
75
Enantiomer-Selective High-Resolution Gas
Chromatography (esHRGC)
Capillary gas chromatography (cG) has been an important separation technique for
enantioselective chromatography from the early beginning of this research field in
analytical chemistry. A number of early reports illustrate the importance of this
separation technology for enantiomer separation. The relevance of enantioselective
high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) is summarised in several early monographs and review articles. A general survey is given in the earlier monographs by
König (1987, 1992) and in recent review articles (Wong 2006; Xie and Yuan 2017;
Gumustas et al. 2018), while the aspect “enantioselective gas chromatography of
chiral environmental pollutants” was comprehensively introduced in earlier review
articles (Hühnerfuss and Kallenborn 1992; Hühnerfuss 2000; Wong 2006). An
extensive review of chiral stationary phases known until 1982 was first introduced
by Liu and Ku (Liu and Ku 1983). Recent updates complement the comprehensive
picture of all commercially available and tailor-made CSPs (Schurig 2001; Schurig
2010; Xiao et al. 2012; Peluso et al. 2014; Grajek et al. 2016). However, the recently
reported updates are mainly reporting on modified CSPs originally reported already
in the 1980s and 1990s. Only a few recent new developments are worth mentioning.
Inorganic materials are currently in the focus as CSPs for gas chromatographic
separation of enantiomers. Highly ordered mesoporous inorganic materials, usually
silica-based, have proven to be effective stationary phases for high-temperature gas
chromatographic separations. Materials like ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) can
be created in all sorts of structural assemblies by applying template-based pathways.
Usually, this type of silica is synthesised using non-ionic and cationic surfactants as
the templates (Li et al. 2018). Chiral OMS has been recently developed using
helically twisted templates. Thus, a helically twisted hexagonal rod-like morphology
(creating a nano-sized cavity) provides the homochiral environment, required for
enantiomer-selective property of the CSP. The application of these CSPs for highresolution gas chromatographic separation has been successful for a variety of chiral
compounds like the simultaneous separation of several chiral alcohols, carboxylic
acids, esters, limonene, etc. (Li et al. 2018).
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
R. Kallenborn et al., Chiral Environmental Pollutants,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62456-9_5
75