Chemistry is moving towards more sustainable techniques that adhere to the 12 principles of green chemistry. This shift necessitates the use of non-toxic, eco-friendly solvents and methods or techniques that minimize the waste produced. In this field, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has (re)emerged as an optimal candidate for the green transition in both analytical and preparative scale chromatography, as an alternative to liquid chromatography (LC) [1]. Indeed, the mobile phase is made of CO2 or a mixture of CO2 and a co-solvent, usually methanol, in its supercritical or subcritical state. CO2 is non-flammable, non-explosive, relatively inert, and available in large quantities at low cost, in contrast to harmful organic solvents, like acetonitrile or hexane used in LC. Moreover, the lower viscosity and higher diffusion coefficients obtained in SFC allow for higher flow rates without significant loss of efficiency if compared to LC, leading to faster mass transfer and separations. This makes SFC particularly attractive for separating chiral compounds, especially in the pharmaceutical industry [2]. Nevertheless, despite these advantages, the complete understanding of the influence of the mobile phase properties on the adsorption behavior of analytes is still not fully accessed. This complicates the accurate modeling and prediction of chromatographic behavior under SFC conditions, limiting the ability to optimize and scale up SFC processes effectively [3]. Recently, dimethylcarbonate (DMC) as a non-toxic, green co-solvent in SFC has been explored [4]. However, fundamental studies on its use under SFC conditions have never been documented so far. In this work, the effect of the co-solvent type (DMC vs methanol) and concentration (0-10%) on retention, enantioselectivity and adsorption properties of Whelk-O1 chiral stationary phase has been investigated for trans-stilbene oxide (TSO) racemic mixture. Results of this study will be helpful to fully assess the potential of SFC in various applications.
THERMODYNAMIC ASPECTS IN SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR CHIRAL SEPARATIONS
Simona Felletti
;Amirmohammad Faraji Shovey;Chiara De Luca;Martina Catani;Alberto Cavazzini
2026
Abstract
Chemistry is moving towards more sustainable techniques that adhere to the 12 principles of green chemistry. This shift necessitates the use of non-toxic, eco-friendly solvents and methods or techniques that minimize the waste produced. In this field, supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) has (re)emerged as an optimal candidate for the green transition in both analytical and preparative scale chromatography, as an alternative to liquid chromatography (LC) [1]. Indeed, the mobile phase is made of CO2 or a mixture of CO2 and a co-solvent, usually methanol, in its supercritical or subcritical state. CO2 is non-flammable, non-explosive, relatively inert, and available in large quantities at low cost, in contrast to harmful organic solvents, like acetonitrile or hexane used in LC. Moreover, the lower viscosity and higher diffusion coefficients obtained in SFC allow for higher flow rates without significant loss of efficiency if compared to LC, leading to faster mass transfer and separations. This makes SFC particularly attractive for separating chiral compounds, especially in the pharmaceutical industry [2]. Nevertheless, despite these advantages, the complete understanding of the influence of the mobile phase properties on the adsorption behavior of analytes is still not fully accessed. This complicates the accurate modeling and prediction of chromatographic behavior under SFC conditions, limiting the ability to optimize and scale up SFC processes effectively [3]. Recently, dimethylcarbonate (DMC) as a non-toxic, green co-solvent in SFC has been explored [4]. However, fundamental studies on its use under SFC conditions have never been documented so far. In this work, the effect of the co-solvent type (DMC vs methanol) and concentration (0-10%) on retention, enantioselectivity and adsorption properties of Whelk-O1 chiral stationary phase has been investigated for trans-stilbene oxide (TSO) racemic mixture. Results of this study will be helpful to fully assess the potential of SFC in various applications.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
