The Use of Native and Modified Cyclodextrins for Method Development in Capillary Electrophoresis and Chemical Sensor Applications

The development and design of novel methods and materials for separation and sensing systems have critical importance for the analysis of complex mixtures. In these systems, molecular recognition is the key element for desired selectivity and it can only be achieved using rationally designed, chemically selective reagents. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are a group of macro-cyclic molecules that can recognize certain analytes depending on their shape and size. In this work, the primary goal was the design and development of CD-based separation and sensing systems. Native and derivatized CDs were utilized to develop methods for separation of a complex mixture containing six naphthalene derivatives by means of the selectivity features of cyclodextrin distribution capillary electrophoresis (CDCE). In order to evaluate its performance in CDCE as a novel resolving agent, a single isomer heptakis (6-O-carboxymethyl-2,3-dimethyl)-β-cyclodextrin was synthesized. Hydrophobic, relatively volatile and thermally stable, CD derivatives, which were used as receptor phases in chemical sensor applications, were synthesized and deposited on surfaces as organic thin films using a physical vapor deposition method. These thin films were evaluated with surface plasmon resonance. The kinetics of analyte-thin film binding was also studied.