Modified Cyclodextrins for Chiral Separation

Modified Cyclodextrins for Chiral Separation offers a review of the latest advances in developing modified cyclodextrins as chiral selectors for various chromatographic and electromigration techniques. Over the years, many descriptions of chiral separation have appeared in academic journals and books, but most of them have been devoted to either the development of analytical methods and protocols or the summary of different chiral selectors, including cyclodextrins for chiral separation applications. This is in marked contrast to this volume which focuses on the research endeavors concerning the development of cyclodextrin derivatives specifically as either chiral mobile phases for capillary electrophoresis, or chiral stationary phases for various chromatographic techniques including gas chromatography, or high-performance liquid chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography. The ongoing thread in this book is the synthesis of structurally-defined cyclodextrin derivatives and their applications in enantiomer separation by means of different analytical techniques.

Modified Cyclodextrins for Chiral Separation is intended for those who are interested in expanding their knowledge of cyclodextrin chemistry and chiral separation, and in what cyclodextrin modification can be made to suit the needs of chiral selectors for different analytical techniques. It primarily focuses on the state-of-the-art cyclodextrin chemistry which is the basis for all chiral selectors used in these chiral separation techniques.

Weihua Tang, PhD, is a professor at the Key Laboratory of Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China. Siu-Choon Ng, PhD, is a professor at the Division of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Dongping Sun, PhD, is a professor at the Key Laboratory of Soft Chemistry and Functional Materials, Ministry of Education, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, China.

Weihua Tang obtained his PhD degree in Chemistry from National University of Singapore in 2006 under the supervision of Prof. Siu-Choon Ng. His PhD thesis was entitled “Development of novel positively charged single-isomer cyclodextrins and applications in enantiomeric separation and chiral synthesis”. After three and half years’ postdoctoral research at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) in Singapore, he moved to University of Melbourne and worked with Prof. Andrew B Holmes in the field of organic electronics. Since June 2009, he has been working at Nanjing University of Science and Technology as a full professor. His research interests include organic synthesis of functional materials for enantiomer separation and optoelectronic devices. He has published over 70 international papers.

Siu-Choon Ng obtained his bachelor degree in Chemistry with First Class Honors from Oxford University in 1984. Thereafter, he continued his doctoral dissertation work with Sir Jack E Baldwin FRS at Dyson Perrins Laboratory, Oxford, where he obtained his PhD in 1987. He was a faculty member at the National University of Singapore from 1989 to 2005. He then joined the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), where he is currently a professor at the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. His research work focuses on the organic syntheses of functional materials and their applications in electronic devices as well as the development of chiral enabling technologies for enantioseparation applications. He has published over 240 international papers.

Dongping Sun obtained his master degree from Nanjing University in 1997. Since then, he has been working at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, and he completed his PhD degree at the same university in 2002. He has taken charge of over 10 key research projects in China, which include the National High-Tech R&D Program of China (863 Program) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (including both key and general programs). His research interest is microbiological engineering and bio-inspired functional materials.