Enantiomeric separation of bupropion by liquid chromatography on derivatized cyclofructan chiral stationary phase

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is an ideal tool for enantiomeric separations of different drugs. In this study, the direct enantioseparation of bupropion, an atypical antidepressant structurally related to cathinone, was explored by using five chiral columns, including three based on derivatized cyclofructans, macrocyclic glycopeptide teicoplanin, and an immobilized amylose derivative under multimodal elution conditions. Baseline enantioseparation was obtained on the LarihcShell CF6-RN column, with derivatized cyclofructan 6, in the polar organic mode. The effects of the mobile-phase composition, type and content of major components, the nature and the amount of mobile-phase additives, and the column temperature on the retention, selectivity, and resolution were investigated to optimize enantioseparation. The calibration curve was linear in the range of 10-125 μg/ml for each enantiomer. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.1 and 0.3 μg/ml for both enantiomers of bupropion. The chiral recognition was controlled especially by H bonds, π-π, dipole-dipole interactions, and steric effects. Finally, the developed method was applied to the determination of bupropion in the commercially available drug.