Comparative molecular field analysis of quinine derivatives used as chiral selectors in liquid chromatography: 3D QSAR for the purposes of molecular design of chiral stationary phases.

A comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was carried out on a set of aligned quinine-based stationary phase molecules used in enantioselective chromatography. The best QSAR derived has a cross-validated (predictive) r(2)(cv) = 0.671 and a normal r(2) = 0.998. For CoMFAs using both steric and electrostatic fields as descriptors, the steric field descriptors explained more than 91% of the variance while the electrostatic descriptors explained less than 9% of the variance. It is concluded that the long-range electrostatic potential surrounding the positively charged CSPs are not enantiodiscriminating, while the van der Waals and local electrostatic surface features of these CSPs are highly discriminating. Quantum mechanical calculations back up this claim by showing a relatively symmetric electrostatic iso-contour surface. From the QSAR derived here, a region around the carbamate moiety was located where placement of steric bulk is predicted to enhance chiral discrimination. A set of possible synthetic target molecules is presented.

Enantiodiscrimination by a quinine-based chiral stationary phase: a computational study.

A detailed computational study of a derivatized quinine chiral stationary phase (CSP) interacting with enantiomeric 3, 5-dinitrobenzoyl derivatives of leucine was carried out to understand where and how chiral discrimination takes place. The most stable structure of the CSP derived from a conformer search gave a structure whose geometry agrees with an X-ray structure (rmsd 0.6 A). The computed retention order and enantiodiscriminating free energy differences also agree with chromatographic data. The location and characteristics of the analyte binding site were assessed. An evaluation of total energies and intermolecular energies responsible for complex formation and for chiral discrimination was performed. Molecular dynamics trajectories of those intermolecular forces as well as distributions of the stabilizing and destabilizing forces are presented. A partitioning of the CSP into molecular fragments and the role each fragment plays in complexation and chiral recognition is also described.