Separation of amino acids, peptides and proteins on molecularly imprinted stationary phases.

Stationary phases, to be used in high-performance liquid chromatography, were tailor-made for the separation of amino acids, peptides and proteins. The stationary phases were prepared by molecular imprinting, applying two different approaches. Low-molecular-mass compounds were imprinted in bulk polymers by copolymerization of functional monomers and cross-linkers in the presence of the compound of interest, the print molecule. These polymers were, after extraction of the print molecule, successfully applied as chiral stationary phases, showing high resolution and load capacity. The development of a surface-imprinting approach for the preparation of stationary phases selective for proteins is also discussed.