Enantioselective detection of chiral phosphorescent analytes in cyclodextrin complexes

Inclusion complexes between camphorquinone (CQ) and cyclodextrins (CDs) in deoxygenated aqueous solutions are shown to exhibit relatively strong room temperature phosphorescence (RTP). Among the various CDs tested, α-CD showed the strongest RTP signals. Interestingly, these signals differed significantly for the two enantiomers of CQ; the phosphorescence lifetime of (+)-CQ was about four times longer than that of (−)-CQ, being 352 ± 16 and 89 ± 6 μs, respectively. This enantiomeric selectivity is attributed to a difference in dissociation rates (competing with the radiative emission process) for the diastereoisomeric inclusion complexes dealt with, which have a 2:1 stoichiometry (α-CD:CQ:α-CD). Time-resolved RTP detection using different delay times enables the determination of the two enantiomers in a mixture without involving a separation technique. The minimum detectable fraction of (+)-CQ in a 2 mM sample was 13%.