Enantiomer separation of drugs by micellar electrokinetic chromatography using chiral surfactants

A review surveying enantiomer separations by micellar electrokinetic chroma tography (MEKC) using chiral surfactants is described. MEKC is one of the m ost popular techniques in capillary electrophoresis, where neutral compound s can be analyzed as well as charged ones, and the use of chiral micelles e nable one to achieve the enantioseparation. The chiral MEKC systems are bri efly reviewed according to the types of chiral surfactants along with typic al applications. As chiral micelles or pseudostationary phases in MEKC, var ious natural and synthetic chiral surfactants are used, including several l ow-molecular-mass surfactants and polymerized surfactants or high-molecular -mass surfactants. Cyclodextrin modified MEKC using chiral micelles is also considered. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science BN. All rights reserved.