Application guide helps to find the right chiral separation approach

The fastest approach is to use a Daicel Chiralpak or Chiralcel column.  The Daicel columns will efficiently separate over 95percent of all enantiomers.

The real conundrum is which Daicel column will separate the racemate. There are several approaches to finding the correct column:

  • Screen the separation on the four main Daicel columns in both polar and normal phase solvents – success rate >95percent.
  • Send a sample to Chiral Technologies Europe for method development. Success rate >95percent.
  • Download the New Updated Application Guide.


The new updated application guide from Chiral Technologies Europe has chiral separation data for over 470 pharmaceutical compounds reflecting 57 clinical indications. The database is structurally searchable to find analogues that are close to a target racemate.

The new application guide has many examples of separations using both normal and polar mobile phases. Historically most separations were undertaken in normal phase (alkane with alcohol modifier). To increase the number of separations and to assist in preparative work many separations are now undertaken in polar organic mobile phases (acetonitrile with/without alcohol modifier or a mobile phase comprising single or mixed alcohols). The increased flexibility of these additional mobile phases ensures the high success rate found with Daicel chiral columns.

Daicel has recently launched four new analytical products for chiral chromatography. The New Application Guide has several applications using these new columns and should greatly assist in finding the right chiral column for a separation.

Immobilised Chiral Columns – ChiralpakIA and ChiralpakIB. These products allow new chiral separations to be found for compounds with low solubility and previously difficult separations as well as reproducing most separations found on the equivalent coated Daicel column.

Chiral acid compounds can be easily separated on Chiralpak QD-AX and QN-AX. Acidic compounds than can be separated include molecules containing carboxylic, phosphonic, phosphinic, phosphoric or sulphonic acid groups. The efficient separation of free amino acids at analytical scale and preparative separation of protected amino acids is also possible.

Chiral Technologies Europe is based in Illkirch, France .www.chiral.fr

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