Ferrocene Derivatization Reagents for Optical Resolution of Carboxylic Acids by High-performance Liquid Chromatography with Electrochemical Detection

Abstract

New derivatization methods using chiral ferrocene reagents have been developed for the optical resolution of carboxylic acids by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Two chiral derivatization reagents, 1-ferrocenylethylamine and 1-ferrocenylpropylamine, were readily prepared from acetylferrocene and propionylferrocene in two steps, respectively. Condensation of carboxylic acids with the chiral reagent was effected in the presence of water-soluble carbodiimide and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole. The diastereomeric amides formed from N-acetylamino acid and α-arylpropionic acid enantiomers were efficiently resolved by reversed-phase chromatography and showed the satisfactory sensitivity at +0.45 V vs. an Ag/AgCl reference electrode with a detection limit of 0.5 pmole (S/N=5).