Enantiomeric separation of some pharmaceutical intermediates and reversal of elution orders by high-performance liquid chromatography using cellulose and amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) derivatives as stationary phases.

Several pairs of enantiomers of pharmaceutical intermediates were separated by HPLC directly on cellulose and amylose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) derivatives (Chiralcel OD and Chiralpak AD) using hexane as mobile phase with 2-propanol or ethanol as modifier. The separation and elution order of the enantiomers on the two columns using different alcohol modifiers were compared. Reversal of the elution order of some enantiomeric pairs associated with increased retention of many of these solutes upon changing the mobile phase modifier from 2-propanol to ethanol was observed. The effect of structural variation of two pairs of enantiomers on their k' and separation factor alpha was noted. Chiralcel OD and Chiralpak AD columns provided different retention, separation and elution order of some of the enantiomeric pairs.