Isocratic high-performance liquid chromatographic resolution of glutethimide enantiomers and their 4-hydroxyglutethimide metabolites using cellulose tribenzoate chiral stationary phase.

Glutethimide (2-ethyl-2-phenylglutarimide) enantiomers and their corresponding 4-hydroxyglutethimide metabolites (RS and RR) are separated using newly developed commercially available cellulose tris(4-methylphenyl benzoate) ester (Chiralcel OJ) chiral stationary phase and hexane-ethanol or hexane-2-propanol as the mobile phase. The effects of ethanol or 2-propanol concentration in the mobile phase and of column temperature on retention and enantioselectivity of glutethimide enantiomers are also demonstrated. Maximum resolutions of 14.23 and 7.09 are obtained for glutethimide and their 4-hydroxyglutethimide metabolites, respectively, with hexane-ethanol (60:40) at 23 degrees C and a flow rate of 1 mL/min.