Enantiomeric separation of racemic 1-benzyl-N-methyltetrahydroisoquinolines on chiral columns and chiral purity determinations of the O-methylated metabolites in plant cell cultures by HPLC-CD on-line coupling in combination with HPLC-MS

Online LC-CD analysis allows establishment of a correlation between the absolute configuration of separated enantiomers and their characteristic CD transitions. The LC-MS method, combined with LC-CD analysis, permitted chiral purity determination of the O-methylated metabolites of nine phenolic 1-benzyl-N-methyltetrahydroisoquinolines administered to cell cultures of Corydalis, Macleaya, and Nandina species.