A Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Stationary Phase for Chiral Separation of Ofloxacin by Thin Layer Chromatography

A molecular imprinting procedure was adopted to prepare a highly crosslinked polymer for the racemic resolution of ofloxacin, a wide spectrum quinolone anti infective agent. A combination of acidic and basic functional monomers, acrylic acid and 4-vinyl pyridine at different proportions, were copolymerized with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate by thermal initiation. These polymers, after drying, sizing, and removal of print molecule, were used in a batch binding experiment and made into thin layer chromatography (TLC) plates for thin layer chromatographic procedure to examine their enantioselectivity for levofloxacin or S-ofloxacin. The results showed that polymer P33 has comparatively higher binding capacity and selectivity than the other polymers as far as S-ofloxacin is concerned. This was confirmed by CD-ORD results. This preliminary report demonstrates a novel and promising family of stationary phase (based on predetermined selectivity) for use not only for solid phase extraction but also for liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis.