1. Are the CHIRALPAK® IA, IB, IC, ID, IE, IF and IG (immobilised series) columns similar to any existing CHIRALPAK® or CHIRALCEL® columns? How are the immobilised columns different from coated polysaccharide columns?

The most important difference between the CHIRALPAK immobilised columns and the traditional polysaccharide columns is their robustness and stability to mobile phase composition. In the CHIRALPAK IA, IB, IC, ID, IE, IF and IG chiral columns, the stationary phase is immobilised on the packing material instead of the coating process used in Daicel’s other chiral columns.

This immobilisation confers two major advantages. One is that the Chiral Stationary Phase (CSP) can no longer be changed or destroyed by the use of a “forbidden” solvent — there are no forbidden organic solvents with the new columns. The other advantage is that with this total freedom of choice of solvent it is possible to develop new separations not previously possible, thus further extending the range of polysaccharide-based columns to chiral separations. See Question 8 for information on how the extended range of solvents can be used to attain high levels of success for method development with these new columns.

Some of the chiral selectors of this new generation of columns are also present in the traditional coated series. CHIRALPAK IA, IB and IF are based on the same chiral selectors as CHIRALPAK AD-H, CHIRALCEL OD-H and CHIRALPAK AZ-H, respectively. CHIRALPAK IC, ID, IE and IG bear totally different selectors with no equivalent in the coated series. To view structures of the chiral selectors, click here.