Equilibrium binding model of bile salt-mediated chiral micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

Optimum concentration of bile salts in chiral separations depends on both the aggregation properties of the surfactant and the stability of the analyte-micelle complexes. An equilibrium model is proposed in which these two effects are treated separately. First the aggregation constants should be determined under the experimental conditions of the chiral MEKC analysis. With these data, the equilibrium concentrations of bile salt aggregates can be calculated at any total surfactant concentration. Using the Offord equation to approximate the mobilities of the enantiomer-bile salt complexes, a model function has been derived to fit the experimental mobilities. The method yields the binding constants of the enantiomers to each aggregate present. Those species are assumed to be important in the chiral recognition process, which have significantly different stability constants for the enantiomers. The method is demonstrated by the chiral separation of R- and S-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diyl hydrogen phosphate with sodium taurodeoxycholate. Based on the calculated binding constants, tetrameric aggregates are assumed to be the discriminating species, while no significant difference in enantiomer binding to dimers was found.