Chiral separation of amino acids by ligand-exchange capillary electrochromatography using continuous beds

A chiral ligand-exchange phase for capillary electrochromatography based on continuous bed technology was developed. The chiral stationary phase is prepared by a one-step in situ copolymerization procedure using methacrylamide, piperazine diacrylamide, vinylsulfonic acid and N-(2-hydroxy-3-allyloxypropyl)-L-4-hydroxyproline. These chiral continuous beds are inexpensive and easy to prepare. They also have several advantages over silica-based packed capillaries. Since the bed is covalently attached to the capillary wall, no frit is required. The applicability of this new approach to the chiral separation of underivatized amino acids is demonstrated.