A chiral metal-organic framework {(HQA)(ZnCl2)(2.5H2O)}n for the enantioseparation of chiral amino acids and drugs

Chiral metal-organic frameworks (CMOFs) with enantiomeric subunits have been employed in chiral chemistry. In this study, a CMOF formed from 6-methoxyl-(8S,9R)-cinchonan-9-ol-3-carboxylic acid (HQA) and ZnCl2, {(HQA)(ZnCl2)(2.5H2O)}n, was constructed as a chiral stationary phase (CSP) via an in situ fabrication approach and used for chiral amino acid and drug analyses for the first time. The {(HQA)(ZnCl2)(2.5H2O)}n nanocrystal and the corresponding chiral stationary phase were systematically characterised using a series of analytical techniques including scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area measurements. In open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (CEC), the novel chiral column exhibited strong and broad enantioselectivity toward a variety of chiral analytes, including 19 racemic dansyl amino acids and several model chiral drugs (both acidic and basic). The chiral CEC conditions were optimised, and the enantioseparation mechanisms are discussed. This study not only introduces a new high-efficiency member of the MOF-type CSP family but also demonstrates the potential of improving the enantioselectivities of traditional chiral recognition reagents by fully using the inherent characteristics of porous organic frameworks.