High-throughput screening and optimization approaches for chiral compounds by means of microfluidic devices

Chiral separations facilitated using microchip devices are reviewed in this paper. The first research paper on this topic was published in 1999. It was seen that analysis times are greatly reduced compared with more conventional techniques such as liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis, and that these devices enable the separation of chiral molecules. Method optimization can be conducted in a rather easy manner, reducing the total method development time. Finally, minute amounts of sample and buffer are used during analysis, which makes the systems ultra-economical. Although the number of applications in the chiral separation field on these miniaturized systems is still rather limited, they exhibit much potential towards high-throughput screening. Some efforts are, however, still needed regarding detection modes, because derivatisation of the samples is often needed to enable their detection.