Chiral recognition and the determination of optical purity of alpha-phenylethylamine using monosaccharide as a chiral selector under liquid secondaryion mass spectral conditions

Naturally available monosaccharides, D-mannose, D-galactose and D-glucose, have been used for the first time as chiral co-matrices for chiral recognit ion of alpha-phenylethylamine, The liquid secondary ion (LSI) mass spectra of a mixture of D-mannose and (R)- or (S)-alpha-phenylethylamine in the pre sence of benzylamine as reference compound and glycerol as matrix showed [( mannose + (R)- / (S)-alpha-phenylethylamine + H) - H2O](+) (a) and [(mannos e + benzylamine + H)-H2O](+) (b) ions. The significant difference was obser ved in the relative peak intensity (RPI) values calculated from the ion abu ndances of ion a and b. The RPI values for (R)- and (S)-alpha-phenylethylam ine are RPIR = 0.79 and RPIS = 1.34, respectively. The efficiency of the ch iral recognition property of D-mannose is demonstrated in estimating the en antiomeric excess of alpha-phenylethylamine.