Abstract:
Within the scope of this thesis the N-TFA/O-Et derivatives of alpha-amino acids (Tyr, Orn, Ala, Asp, Cys, Leu, Lys, Phe, Pro and Ser) were investigated via enantioselective gas chromatography. To this end the chiral stationary phases Chirasil-D-, Chirasil-L-Val and Lipodex E were used. The method was validated to allow an evaluation of the precision, reproducibility and systematic errors of the results. In addition, non derivatized tyrosine was analysed by enantioselective capillary electrophoresis as an independent method and results were compared to those of gas chromatography.
The validated method served to check experimental results published in the literature, in which a connection between parity violation and homochiral preference of alpha-amino acids was claimed to have been established. To this end the changes of concentration of the supernatant solutions during the crystallization of the enantiomers of tyrosine from both water and deuterium oxide were measured via enantiomer labelling. The change of enantiomeric ratio of racemic tyrosine during crystallization from water was accurately determined as well. In addition the validated method was applied to the examination of the enantiomeric ratio of aqueous alanine solutions subjected to a steep temperature gradient under pressure similarly to experiments published in the literature which aim to simulate hydrothermal environments and their postulated influence on the racemisation of enantiomers of alanine.
In connection with homochiral preference of alpha-amino acids the enantiomeric ratios of amino acids constituting homopolypeptides were determined via deuterium labelling and GC/MS.
The concluding part of this thesis is about the reciprocal chiral recognition principle and its application on DNP-D- and -L-alanine, respectively, immobilized on silica as an enantioselective stationary phase and one cyclohexapeptide as a selectant. Analysis was performed using micro-HPLC/ESI-MS.