2-O-(2-hydroxybutyl)-beta-cyclodextrin as a chiral selector for the capillary electrophoretic separation of chiral drugs.

A new beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) derivative, 2-O-(2-hydroxybutyl)-beta-CD (HB-beta-CD), was successfully synthesized and used as chiral selector in capillary zone electrophoresis. Six chiral drugs, such as anisodamine, ketoconazole, propranolol, promethazine, adrenaline and chlorphenamine enantiomers, belonging to different classes of compounds of pharmaceutical interest were resolved. The chiral resolution (R(S)) was strongly influenced by the concentrations of the cyclodextrin derivative, the background electrolyte, and the pH of the background electrolyte. Under the conditions of 50 mmol/L tris-phosphate buffer at pH 2.5 containing 5 mmol/L 2-O-(2-hydroxybutyl)-beta-CD, the baseline separation of enantiomers, such as anisodamine (R(S) = 3.10), ketoconazole (R(S) = 3.01), propranolol (R(S) = 3.87), promethazine (R(S) = 3.63), adrenaline (R(S) = 3.42) and chlorphenamine (R(S) = 2.96), could be achieved.