2015 Volume 36 Issue 2 Pages 57-60
A positively charged derivatization reagent, i.e., (S)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid N-(N'-methylpyridine-2-yl)amide (PCP2-Me), was synthesized and evaluated using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which were selected as the representative chiral carboxylic acids. The separation efficiency and detection sensitivity were compared to (S)-pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid N-(pyridine-2-yl)amide (PCP2) which was previously reported as a chiral derivatization reagent for carboxylic acids. The suitable column and mobile-phase composition were different between the PCP2 derivatives and PCP2-Me derivatives. The PCP2-Me has a highly proton-affinitive moiety in its structure, thus the sensitivity was increased as expected (Limit of detection (S/N=3), 15-72 amol for the PCP2-Me derivatives and 49-260 amol for the PCP2 derivatives). Based on these results, PCP2-Me seems to be usable for the determination of chiral carboxylic acids, the same as PCP2.
