Recent developments in cyclodextrin functionalized monolithic columns for the enantioseparation of chiral drugs

The use of monolithic supports containing cyclodextrins (CDs) or their derivatives as chiral stationary phases (CSPs) has drawn much attention in the field of enantioseparations. The present review summarized the recent developments in CD functionalized monolithic columns. After introducing their classification in Section 1, various strategies applied to the preparation of the three types of CD functionalized monoliths, i.e. silica based monoliths, organic polymer based monoliths and organic-silica based hybrid monoliths, are thoroughly summarized in Section 2. Particularly, three different preparation strategies for covalently immobilizing CDs onto monoliths, including multi-step strategy, single-step strategy and one-pot strategy, are discussed. In the last section, the applications of CD functionalized monoliths in chiral separation of pharmaceuticals are highlighted.