Chiral Separation by HPLC Using Polysaccharide-Based Chiral Stationary Phases

Chiral separation by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a chiral stationary phase (CSP) is one of the most efficient methods for separating enantiomers, not only on an analytical scale, but also on a preparative scale, and in the past two decades, many CSPs have been developed. Polysaccharides such as cellulose, amylose, and chitin (Fig. 1 ) are the most abundant optically active polymers on the earth and can be readily modified to carbamates and esters through the reaction with isocyanates and acid chlorides, respectively. The CSPs based on polysaccharide derivatives are some of the most popular ones and can separate a wide range of chiral compounds (1 –4 ).