Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon Inclusion Complexes with 2-Hydroxylpropyl-ß/γ-Cyclodextrin: Molecular Dynamic Simulation and Spectroscopic Studies.

In aqueous and solid media, 2-HP-ß/γ-CD inclusion complexes with poly aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) Phenanthrene (PHN), Anthracene (ANT), Benz(a)pyrene (BaP), and Fluoranthene (FLT) were investigated for the first time. The inclusion complexes were characterized and investigated using fluorescence and 1HNMR spectroscopy. The most prevalent complexes consisting of both guests and hosts were those with a 1:1 guest-to-host ratio. The stability constants for the complexes of PHN with 2-HP-ß-CD and 2-HP-γ-CD were 85 ± 12 M-1 and 49 ± 29 M-1, respectively. Moreover, the stability constants were found to be 502 ± 46 M-1 and 289 ± 44 M-1 for the complexes of ANT with both hosts. The stability constants for the complexes of BaP with 2-HP-ß-CD and 2-HP-γ-CD were (1.5 ± 0.02) × 103 M-1 and (9.41 ± 0.03) × 103 M-1, respectively. The stability constant for the complexes of FLT with 2-HP-ß-CD was (1.06 ± 0.06) × 103 M-1. However, FLT was observed to form a weak complex with 2-HP-γ-CD. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to investigate the mechanism and mode of inclusion processes, and to monitor the atomic-level stability of these complexes. The analysis of MD trajectories demonstrated that all guests formed stable inclusion complexes with both hosts throughout the duration of the simulation time, confirming the experimental findings. However, the flexible Hydroxypropyl arms prevented the PAHs from being encapsulated within the cavity; however, a stable exclusion complex was observed. The main forces that influenced the complexation included van der Waals interactions, hydrophobic forces, and C-H⋯π interaction, which contribute to the stability of these complexes.

Characterization of Thymoquinone-Sulfobutylether-ß-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex for Anticancer Applications.

Thymoquinone (TQ) is a quinone derived from the black seed Nigella sativa and has been extensively studied in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical research due to its therapeutic potential and pharmacological properties. Although the chemopreventive and potential anticancer effects of TQ have been reported, its limited solubility and poor delivery remain the major limitations. In this study, we aimed to characterize the inclusion complexes of TQ with Sulfobutylether-ß-cyclodextrin (SBE-ß-CD) at four different temperatures (293-318 K). Additionally, we compared the antiproliferative activity of TQ alone to TQ complexed with SBE-ß-CD on six different cancer cell lines, including colon, breast, and liver cancer cells (HCT-116, HT-29, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, SK-BR-3, and HepG2), using an MTT assay. We calculated the thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG) using the van't Holf equation. The inclusion complexes were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR), and molecular dynamics using the PM6 model. Our findings revealed that the solubility of TQ was improved by ≥60 folds, allowing TQ to penetrate completely into the cavity of SBE-ß-CD. The IC50 values of TQ/SBE-ß-CD ranged from 0.1 ± 0.01 µg/mL against SK-BR-3 human breast cancer cells to 1.2 ± 0.16 µg/mL against HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells, depending on the cell line. In comparison, the IC50 values of TQ alone ranged from 0.2 ± 0.01 µg/mL to 4.7 ± 0.21 µg/mL. Overall, our results suggest that SBE-ß-CD can enhance the anticancer effect of TQ by increasing its solubility and bioavailability and cellular uptake. However, further studies are necessary to fully understand the underlying mechanisms and potential side effects of using SBE-ß-CD as a drug delivery system for TQ.

Investigation of the Interaction of Benzo(a)Pyrene and Fluoranthene with Cucurbit[n]urils (n = 6-8): Experimental and Molecular Dynamic Study.

The inclusion complexes of cucurbit[n]uril, CB[n] (n = 6-8), with poly aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) Benzo(a)Pyrene (BaP), and fluoranthene (FLT) were investigated carefully in aqueous media. Fluorescence and 1H NMR spectroscopy were used to characterize and investigate the inclusion complexes that were prepared in the aqueous media. The most predominant complexes of both guests with hosts were the 1:1 guest: host complexes. Stability constants of 2322 ± 547 M-1, 7281 ± 689 M-1, 3566 ± 473 M-1 were obtained for the complexes of BaP with CB[6], CB[7], and CB[8], respectively. On the other hand, stability constants of 5900.270 ± 326 M-1, 726.87 ± 78 M-1, 3327.059 ± 153 M-1 were obtained for the complexes of FLT with CB[6], CB[7], and CB[8], respectively. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to study the mode and mechanism of the inclusion process and to monitor the stability of these complexes in aqueous media at an atomistic level. Analysis of MD trajectories has shown that both BaP and FLT form stable inclusion complexes with CB[7] and CB[8] in aqueous media throughout the simulation time, subsequently corroborating the experimental results. Nevertheless, the small size of CB[6] prohibited the encapsulation of the two PAHs inside the cavity, but stable exclusion complex was observed between them. The main driving forces for the stability of these complexes are the hydrophobic forces, van der Waals interactions, electrostatic effect, the π····π and C-H···π interaction. These results suggest that BaP and FLT can form stable complexes with CB[n] (n = 6-8) in solution.

Capillary electrophoresis and molecular modeling of the chiral separation of aromatic amino acids using α/ß-cyclodextrin and 18-crown-6.

In this work, chiral separation of enantiomers of three amino acids was achieved using capillary electrophoresis technique with α-cyclodextrin (αCD) as a running buffer additive. Only tryptophan has exhibited baseline separation in the presence of αCD, while the enantiomers of the other two amino acids, phenylalanine and tyrosine, were only partially separated. The addition of 18-crown-6 (18C6) as a second additive imparted only slight improvement to the separation of all enantiomers. On the other hand, all three racemic amino acid mixtures demonstrated no indication of separation when the larger cavity cyclodextrin members, ß- and γCD, are used as running buffer chiral additives. However, remarkable improvements in the separation of the enantiomers of phenylalanine and tyrosine were obtained when 18C6 is used together with ßCD as a running buffer additive. Surprisingly, tryptophan enantiomers were not separated by the dual additive system of cyclodextrin and crown ether. Using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), all amino acids were found to form stable binary complexes with individual hosts as well as ternary compounds involving the crown ether and the cyclodextrin. Furthermore, we used molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to build a clear picture about the interaction between the guest and the hosts. Most of these complexes remained stable throughout the simulation times, and the molecular dynamics study allowed better understanding of these supramolecular assemblies.

Investigating the impact of metal ions and 3D printed droplet microfluidics chip geometry on the luminol­potassium periodate chemiluminescence system for estimating total phenolic content in olive oil.

The impact of the chip design and the mixing mechanisms using six different 3D printed microfluidic chips were investigated. The study was conducted using novel 3D printed droplet based microfluidics. A multi-mixing approach was utilized to enhance the CL signal of the CL system under investigation. The approach is based on droplet formation, droplet mixing and droplets merging in the 3D printed microfluidic chip. A 154% higher CL signal intensity was obtained using this approach compared to the CL signal obtained using the serpentine chip commonly used for improving the mixing inside droplet microfluidics. This chip was exploited to study the role of three metal ions: Co2+, Mn2+ and Fe2+ on catalyzing the luminol­potassium periodate chemiluminescence (CL) reaction with selected phenolic compounds in basic media was carefully investigated. Furthermore, the luminol­potassium periodate-metal ions system was optimized for all metal ions using gallic acid as the reference standard. Despite the popularity of luminol systems in estimating antioxidant activity or total phenolic content (TPC), the results of this study revealed the necessity of careful and vigilant attention when applying it to complex matrices. The only metal ion that showed quenching behavior with all 20 of the tested phenolic compounds was Fe2+, while Co2+and Mn2+ showed both quenching and enhancement in the CL signal. The luminol­potassium periodate-Fe2+ system was applied to estimate TPC in olive oil extracts.

Enhancing the chemiluminescence intensity of a KMnO4 formaldehyde system for estimating the total phenolic content in honey samples using a novel nanodroplet mixing approach in a microfluidics platform.

A novel mixing approach was utilized with a highly sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) method to determine the total phenolic content (TPC) in honey samples using an acidic potassium permanganate-formaldehyde system. The mixing approach was based on exploiting the mixing efficiency of nanodroplets generated in a microfluidic platform. Careful optimization of the instrument setup and various experimental conditions were employed to obtain excellent sensitivity. The mixing efficiency of the droplets was compared with the CL signal intensity obtained using the common serpentine chip design, with both approaches using at a total flow rate of 15 µl min-1 ; the results showed that the nanodroplets provided 600% higher CL signal intensity at this low flow rate. Using the optimum conditions, calibration equations, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) for gallic acid (GA), caffeic acid (CA), kaempferol (KAM), quercetin (QRC) and catechin (CAT) were obtained. The LOD ranged from 6.2 ppb for CA to 11.0 ppb for QRC. Finally, the method was applied for the determination of TPC in several local and commercial honey samples.

The binding interaction of imazapyr with cucurbit[n]uril (n=6-8): Combined experimental and molecular modeling study.

The inclusion complexes of imazapyr (IMA) with cucurbit[n]uril, CB[n] (n=6-8), have been investigated. Fluorescence spectroscopy, MALDI-TOF, and 1HNMR were used to investigate and characterize the inclusion complexation of IMA and CB[n] in solutions. Whereas the solid state complexes have been characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). IMA was found to form 1:1 complexes with CB[n] with association constants ranging from 5.80×102-2.65×103. The guest molecule IMA was found to encapsulate into the larger cavities of CB[7] and CB[8], whereas with CB[6] the molecule remains outside the cavity. Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations were used to follow the inclusion process at an atomistic level to study the mechanism and stability of inclusion. The results obtained showed that inclusion complexes of IMA with both CB[7] and CB[8] are highly stable in aqueous media, but the CB[6] smaller cavity size prohibited the formation of an inclusion complex with IMA. The results clearly show that in addition to hydrophobic effects the presence of hydrogen bonding has added greatly to the stability of these complexes.

Spectral and theoretical study on complexation of sulfamethoxazole with ß- and HPß-cyclodextrins in binary and ternary systems.

The inclusion complexes of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) with ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) and (2-hydroxypropyl) ß-cyclodextrin (HPßCD) were prepared. Fluorescence spectroscopy and electrospray mass spectrometry, ESI-MS, were used to investigate and characterize the inclusion complexation of SMX with cyclodextrins in solutions. Whereas in the solid state the complexes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Raman techniques. Enhanced twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT), emission as well as local excited (LE) bands were observed upon addition of HPßCD indicate that SMX enters deeper into the cyclodextrins cavity. The stoichiometries and association constants of these complexes have been determined by monitoring the fluorescence data. The effect of presence of ternary components like arginine and cysteine on the complexation efficiency of SMX with cyclodextrins was investigated. Molecular Dynamic simulations were also performed to shed an atomistic insight into the complexation mechanism. The results obtained showed that complexes of SMX with both cyclodextrins are stabilized in aqueous media by strong hydrogen bonding interactions.

A comprehensive evaluation of three microfluidic chemiluminescence methods for the determination of the total phenolic contents in fruit juices.

Three recently reported microfluidic chemiluminescence (MF-CL) methods (based on reactions with acidic permanganate enhanced by formaldehyde (KMnO4-COH), acidic cerium (IV) and rhodamine B (Ce-RB), and acidic cerium (IV) and rhodamine 6G (Ce-R6G) enhanced by SDS) for the determination of the total phenolic content (TPC) in juices were critically evaluated in terms of their selectivity. The evaluation was carried out using 86 analytes, including 22 phenolic compounds (phenolic acids and polyphenols), 6 known non-phenolic antioxidants, 9 amino acids and a number of proteins, carbohydrates, nucleotide bases, inorganic salts and other compounds. Each method was sensitive toward phenolic compounds (PCs). However, the KMnO4-COH CL system showed a higher sensitivity toward phenolic acids and also responded to non-phenolic antioxidants. The other two systems showed higher sensitivity toward polyphenolic compounds than to phenolic acids and did not responded to all other compounds including non-phenolic antioxidants.

Determination of Common Adulterants in Herbal Medicine and Food Samples using Core-shell Column Coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

High-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used to develop and validate a rapid method to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse 18 common adulterants in herbal medicine and food samples. Initially, the mobile phase composition was optimized in three different columns: core-shell, monolithic and standard 3.5-µm-particle-size columns. The results show that the core-shell column provides the best separation. Moreover, the tandem mass spectrometry was optimized. The linear range for all adulterants was 0.5-500 µg mL-1. Finally, the samples that were supplied by the Public Authority of Customer Protection, Ministry of Health, and those collected from the local market were analysed. The results indicate that 7 of 33 analysed samples contained adulterants. The adulterated samples mainly contain sildenafil, tadalafil or vardenafil. The concentrations of these three adulterants in the samples were 0.18-39 wt%. This study is the first report in the Sultanate of Oman about adulteration in herbal medicine and food samples. The results clearly raise some concern and require proper plan of action to increase public awareness about this serious issue.

Tuning the constrained photophysics of a pyrazoline dye 3-naphthyl-1-phenyl-5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-2-pyrazoline inside the cyclodextrin nanocavities: A detailed insight via experimental and theoretical approach.

The modulation in the photophysics of a pyrazoline dye 3-naphthyl-1-phenyl-5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-2-pyrazoline (NPCP), when it drifts from bulk water into the nanocages of aqueous cyclodextrin solutions was investigated. The intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) fluorescence band intensity was found to increase with a blue shift in the presence of cyclodextrins. The results from 1H NMR and 1HH COSY NMR spectral analysis clearly points out the position of pyrazoline ring inside the cavity and its role in complexation process. A quantitative assessment of the emission intensity data on Benesi-Hildebrand (B-H) equation along with ESI-MS spectra reveals the probable stoichiometry of NPCP-CD complexes. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics studies were conducted for ß/γ cyclodextrin associated inclusion complexes of NPCP. The results obtained by computational studies are in good relation with the data obtained through experimental methods and both ascertain the encapsulation of NPCP into cyclodextrins.

An enhanced cerium(IV)-rhodamine 6G chemiluminescence system using guest-host interactions in a lab-on-a-chip platform for estimating the total phenolic content in food samples.

Two chemiluminescence-microfluidic (CL-MF) systems, e.g., Ce(IV)-rhodamine B (RB) and Ce(IV)-rhodamine 6G (R6G), for the determination of the total phenolic content in teas and some sweeteners were evaluated. The results indicated that the Ce(IV)-R6G system was more sensitive in comparison to the Ce(IV)-RB CL system. Therefore, a simple (CL-MF) method based on the CL of Ce(IV)-R6G was developed, and the sensitivity, selectivity and stability of this system were evaluated. Selected phenolic compounds (PCs), such as quercetin (QRC), catechin (CAT), rutin (RUT), gallic acid (GA), caffeic acid (CA) and syringic acid (SA), produced analytically useful chemiluminescence signals with low detection limits ranging from 0.35 nmol L(-1) for QRC to 11.31 nmol L(-1) for SA. The mixing sequence and the chip design were crucial, as the sensitivity and reproducibility could be substantially affected by these two factors. In addition, the anionic surfactant (i.e., sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)) can significantly enhance the CL signal intensity by as much as 300% for the QRC solution. Spectroscopic studies indicated that the enhancement was due to a strong guest-host interaction between the cationic R6G molecules and the anionic amphiphilic environment. Other parameters that could affect the CL intensities of the PCs were carefully optimized. Finally, the method was successfully applied to tea and sweetener samples. Six different tea samples exhibited total phenolic/antioxidant levels from 7.32 to 13.5 g per 100g of sample with respect to GA. Four different sweetener samples were also analyzed and exhibited total phenolic/antioxidant levels from 500.9 to 3422.9 mg kg(-1) with respect to GA. The method was selective, rapid and sensitive when used to estimate the total phenolic/antioxidant level, and the results were in good agreement with those reported for honey and tea samples.

Determination of the pseudoephedrine content in pharmaceutical formulations and in biological fluids using a microbore HPLC system interfaced to a microfluidic chemiluminescence detector.

A novel automated precolumn derivatization followed by separation using liquid chromatography for the determination of pseudoephedrine (PSE) by a microfluidic chemiluminescence detector has been developed. An on-line derivatization procedure was utilized by converting PSE into a highly light emitting species in a Ru(bipy)3(2+)-peroxydisulphate chemiluminescence (CL) system by derivatizing it with a 1.0 M formaldehyde solution. The derivatized analyte was directly injected into a microbore high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system coupled to an on-chip chemiluminescence detector. The newly developed highly selective, sensitive and fast HPLC-CL method was validated and successfully applied for the analysis of PSE in pharmaceutical formulations and a human urine sample. The selectivity of the method is not only due to the HPLC separation but is also due to the highly selective detection principle of the Ru(bipy)3(2+)-peroxydisulphate CL system used. There was no interference observed from the common preservatives and excipients used in pharmaceutical preparations, which did not show any significant CL signal. The retention time of PSE was less than 3 min, and the detection limits and quantification limits were found to be 5.7 and 26.0 µg L(-1), respectively.

Microfluidic Precolumn Derivatization of Environmental Phenols with Coumarin-6-Sulfonyl Chloride and HPLC Separation.

A simple, fast, sensitive and versatile method for the analysis of phenols in water is proposed using microfluidic precolumn derivatization with the fluorogenic label coumarin-6-sulfonyl chloride (C6SCl) and HPLC separation on monolithic columns. Phenols react with C6SCl within 3.0 min in the microreactor at ambient temperature to produce phenol-coumarin sulphonamides derivatives which were separated in reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography followed by postcolumn ring-opening and fluorescence detection at λexc = 360 nm and λem = 460 nm. The optimum conditions for the derivatization, separation and ring-opening reaction have been established. The calibration curves were linear for the studied phenols in the range of 0.75-12.5 mg L(-1). The application of the method to environmental samples was demonstrated by analyzing tap and fountain water samples spiked with the phenolic compounds.

Study on the spectral and inclusion properties of a sensitive dye, 3-naphthyl-1-phenyl-5-(5-fluoro-2-nitrophenyl)-2-pyrazoline, in solvents and ß-cyclodextrin.

3-Naphthyl-1-phenyl-5-(5-fluoro-2-nitrophenyl)-2-pyrazoline (NPFP), a fluorogenic probe and its derivative NPFP-Phenylephrine were synthesized and their absorption and fluorescence properties were recorded in solvents of varying polarity. Spectroscopic studies reveal that, the solvatochromic behavior of the compounds depend not only on the polarity but also on the hydrogen-bonding properties of the solvents. The effects of ß-cyclodextrin on the fluorescence properties of both compounds were studied. It was found that there is an enhancement in the fluorescence intensity of labeled drug (NPFP-Phenylephrine) in the presence of ß-cyclodextrin. In the present study, the molecular motions of NPFP-Phenylephrine embedded in a ß-cyclodextrin cavity have been investigated by fluorescence techniques in steady-state and time resolved modes.

Combination of capillary micellar liquid chromatography with on-chip microfluidic chemiluminescence detection for direct analysis of buspirone in human plasma.

Microfluidic based chemiluminescence (CL) detector having novel channel design for enhanced mixing has been developed and investigated in terms of its applicability with micellar mode of liquid chromatography (MLC). The newly developed detector was found to be highly sensitive and an alternative detection technique to combine with capillary MLC. This combination was successfully employed for direct detection of a model analyte using Ru(III)-peroxydisulphate CL system. The selected analyte, buspirone hydrochloride (BUS), was detected selectively at therapeutic concentration levels in human plasma without any sample pretreatment. By incorporating eight flow split units within the spiral channel of microfluidic chip, an enhancement of 140% in CL emission was observed. We also evaluated the effect of non- ionic surfactant, Brij-35, which used as mobile phase modifier in MLC, on CL emission. The CL signal was improved by 52% compared to aqueous-organic mobile phase combinations. Various parameters influencing the micellar chromatographic performance and the CL emission were optimized. This allowed highly sensitive analysis of BUS with limit of detection (LOD) of 0.27 ng mL(-1) (3σ/s) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.89 ng mL(-1) (10σ/s). The analyte recovery from human plasma at three different concentration level ranges from 88% to 96% (RSD 1.9-5.3%). The direct analysis of BUS in human plasma was achieved within 6 min. Therefore, combining microfluidic CL detection with micellar mode of separation is an efficient, cost-effective and highly sensitive technique that can utilize MLC in its full capacity for various bioanalytical procedures.

Synthesis, characterization and DFT calculation of 4-fluorophenyl substituted tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III) complexes.

New 4-fluorophenyl substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives, 5-(4-fluorophenyl)quinolin-8-ol and 5,7-bis(4-fluorophenyl)quinolin-8-ol, were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic methods. The aluminum complexes of 5-(4-fluorophenyl)quinolin-8-ol (AlQF) and of 5,7-bis(4-fluorophenyl)quinolin-8-ol (AlQF2) exhibit strong fluorescence emission centered at 525 nm and 530 nm respectively. The quantum yield of both complexes were enhanced compared to the parent tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum(III) complex. Electronic structures and photophysical properties of the new complexes were investigated theoretically by ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent DFT (TD-DFT). Geometries of the ground state (S0) and the first excited state (S1) of the new complexes were optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) functional and configuration interaction singles (CIS) method respectively. The aryl substituents were found to contribute significantly to the frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs). We have observed that in both cases the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy decreases while the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbital is slightly increased. The most significant increase was observed for AlQF2.

Photoinduced oxidation of a tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II)-peroxodisulfate chemiluminescence system for the analysis of mebeverine HCl pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids using a two-chip device.

A new method for the analysis of mebeverine hydrochloride (MEB) has been developed using a two-chip device. The method is highly selective, sensitive, rapid and consumes minute amount of reagents. The developed method is free of interference from the degradation products of MEB and from common ingredients present in pharmaceutical formulations. The limit of detection was 0.043 µg/mL, and the limit of quantification was 0.138 µg/mL. The short analysis time per sample (20 s) allowed a large number of analyses to be performed within a very short time. Various samples were analyzed, including two different pharmaceutical formulations and a uniformity of content analysis for 20 tablets from a known batch and two biological samples at different concentrations. In addition, the method was compared with a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method and the results clearly indicated the suitability of the developed method for routine analyses. A new mechanism for the tris(2,2'-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)3 (2+) )-peroxodisulfate (S2 O8 (2-) ) chemiluminescence (CL) system has also been proposed. The mechanism is based on photoinduced oxidation of Ru(bpy)3 (2+) to Ru(bpy)3 (3+) via the formation of Ru(bpy)3 (2+) * upon irradiation with visible light. S2 O8 (2-) then oxidizes Ru(bpy)3 (2+) * to Ru(bpy)3 (3+) and the analyte subsequently reduces the resultant Ru(bpy)3 (3+) to Ru(bpy)3 (2+) *, which then produces the CL signal.

Computational modeling of capillary electrophoretic behavior of primary amines using dual system of 18-crown-6 and ß-cyclodextrin.

Using capillary electrophoresis (CE) three chiral primary amine compounds 1-aminoindan (AI), 1-(1-naphthyl)ethylamine (NEA) and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthylamine (THAN), exhibited only partial or no separation when ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) was used as chiral selector. The use of 18-crown-6 (18C6) as a second additive with ßCD resulted in an enhanced separation. A molecular modeling study, using molecular mechanics and the semiempirical PM6 calculations, was used to help explaining the mechanism of the enantiodifferentiation and to predict the separation process. Optimization of the structures of the complexes by the PM6 method indicate that the poor separation obtained in the presence of the ßCD chiral selector alone is due to the small binding energy differences (ΔΔE) of 4.7, 1.1 and 1.2 kcal mol(-1) for AI, NEA and THAN, respectively. In the presence of 18C6 it was suggested that a sandwich compound between 18C6, amine and ßCD is formed. Theoretical calculations show that a significant increase in the binding energy is obtained for the sandwich compounds indicating strong hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions that show enhanced enantiodifferentiation.