ADSORPTION LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY ON SILICA FOR THE CHIRAL SEPARATION OF AMINO-ACIDS AND ASYMMETRIC AMINES DERIVATIZED WITH OPTICALLY-ACTIVEN-ALPHA-9-FLUORENYLMETHYLOXYCARBONYL-AMINO ACID-N-CARBOXYANHYDRIDES

Optically pure N-alpha-Fmoc-amino acid-N-carboxyanhydrides (Fmoc-AA-NC As, Fmoc=9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl) are proposed as precolumn reage nts for the chiral analysis of asymmetric amines including alpha-amino acid alkyl esters. Separation of diastereomers arising from racemic a mines is better achieved by liquid-solid adsorption chromatography on silica than by reversed-phase techniques. The sample preparation is ea sily performed while the properties of the Fmoc group allows high sens itivity by fluorescent detection. In this mode, picomolar limits of en antiomeric excess are detected.