ENANTIOMERIC HPLC SEPARATIONS OF CHIRAL LOCAL-ANESTHETICS USING CELLULOSE-BASED CHIRAL STATIONARY PHASES

Enantiomeric resolution of four racemic local anesthetics bupivacaine, mepivacaine, prilocaine and etidocaine were investigated on cellulose based chiral stationary phases. The phases studied were cellulose tri s-3,5-dimethyl phenylcarbamate (Chiralcel OD) and cellulose trisbenzoa te (Chiralcel OJ). Baseline separation (Rs>1.5) were achieved for bupi vacaine and prilocaine enantiomers on Chiralcel OD using hexane-ethyl alcohol (99:1, v/v) and for etidocaine enantiomers on Chiralcel OJ usi ng hexane-methanol (98:2, v/v). Etidocaine and mepivacaine enantiomers only gave partial separations (Rs less than or equal to 0.81) on Chir alcel OD. The effects of various protic and aprotic organic modifiers were investigated on resolution and retention of the enantiomers.