Micellar phaseA mixed micelle system is obtained by adding surfactants such as SDS (sodium dodecylsulfate) above its critical micelle concentration (CMC) to the run buffers containing antibiotics. To date, only the glycopeptide antibiotics have been used in conjunction with micelles. In the case of vancomycin, it is estimated that approximately 90 % of vancomycin is bound to the SDS micelle. Thus there are three pseudophases: the free vancomycin, the vancomycin-SDS mixed micelle and the bulk aqueous solution. The use of such mixed micelle systems allow the resolution a variety of hydrophobic, neutral analytes, e.g., pesticides and drugs [16]. The major separation mechanism is thought to be the partitioning of hydrophobic, neutral compounds between the three pseudophases. In a recent study, Rundlett and Armstrong [17] found the addition of SDS micelles with vancomycin to the run buffer can reverse the elution order of enantiomers, decreases analysis times and enhances efficiencies by one order of magnitude.The addition of SDS to a teicoplanin-based separation produces similar effects to vancomycin experiments [17,22]. However, the elution order of enantiomers in teicoplanin system is not universal. In the case of ristocetin A, the addition of SDS to the analogous conditions does not produce the extensive increase in efficiency and decrease in migration times. Furthermore, there is a significant concentrationdependent effect on selectivity and the reversal of elution order is uncommon [21].
Complementarity among glycopeptide antibiotics used as chiral selectorsAlthough all of three glycopeptide antibiotics vancomycin, teicoplanin and ristocetin A belong to the same family, they have some distinct structural differences as well. Therefore, they exhibit somewhat similar but not identical enantioselectivities. In fact, the glycopeptide antibiotics are complementary to one another. Armstrong et al. proposed that if only a partial enantioresolution can be obtained with one glycopeptide, there is a high probability that a baseline or better separation may be obtained with another glycopeptide [30]. This "principle of complementary separations" is illustrated in figure 3. While it is not yet possible to predict which glycopeptide antibiotic will provide the best resolution for a given analyte, it appears that a partial resolution with one selector usually can be improved upon by using one of the structurally related macrocyclic glycopeptide chiral selectors.
ApplicationsGenerally, rifamycin B is chosen to separate cationic compounds [12,26], while the glycopeptide antibiotics vancomycin, teicoplanin and ristocetin A are used for the separation of compounds containing an anionic moiety such as carboxylate, phosphate, sulphonate groups, etc. Approximately 500 racemic analytes have been electrophoretically resolved with glycopeptide antibiotics, including most N-blocked amino acids, numerous nonsteroidal antiinflammatory compounds, antineoplasics, lactic acids, herbicides, rodenticides and a variety of pharmaceutically im...