Cation-exchange displacement chromatography process and cationic organic compounds for use as displacer compounds in cation-exchange displacement chromatography process

1. A displacement chromatography process, comprising:

loading onto a suitable stationary phase a mixture comprising one or more component to be separated;

displacing at least one of the one or more component from the stationary phase by applying to the stationary phase a mixture comprising a displacer compound having general formula (I):

wherein:

each group R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R′ 1 , R′ 2 , and R′ 3 , independently may be selected from alkyl, aryl, and aralkyl, and in which a ring containing one or more quaternary nitrogen may be formed by any one or more of R 1 and R 2 , R 1 and R′ 1 , R 1 and R 4 , R 4 and R′ 4 , or R 4 and R 5 ;

each R 4 , R′ 4 , R 5 and R′ 5 independently may be selected from alkyl, aryl, aralkyl and —(CH 2 ) a —(CHY) b —(CH 2 ) c —N + R 1 R 2 R 3 An − , wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above;

each Y independently may be selected from —H, —OH, —OR 6 , halo, alkyl, aryl and aralkyl, wherein —R 6 may be alkyl or —(CH 2 ) a —(CHOH) b —(CH 2 ) c —N + R 1 R 2 R 3 An − , wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above, and one or more Y may be a group detectable by one or more electromagnetic methods;

each q and z independently may be any whole number from 0 to about 6, with the proviso that q+z is equal to or less than about 6;

each a, b, and c independently may be any whole number from 0 to 2, with the proviso that the sum a+b+c in any fragment is at least 1; and

each An − independently may be one or more organic or inorganic, monovalent or polyvalent anion as needed to obtain a neutral compound.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the stationary phase is a cation-exchange material.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein the one or more component comprises one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more protein comprises a molecular weight of about 5 kD or higher.

5. The process of claim 3 wherein a protein and/or polypeptide from the mixture is displaced from the stationary phase in a fraction in which the protein and/or polypeptide is substantially enriched and/or in which the protein and/or polypeptide is substantially separated from other protein and/or polypeptide components.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein a protein and/or polypeptide from the mixture is displaced from the stationary phase in a fraction in which the protein and/or polypeptide is substantially enriched and/or in which the protein and/or polypeptide is substantially separated from other protein and/or polypeptide components.

7. The process of claim 3 wherein the mixture comprises two or more proteins, two or more polypeptides or a mixture thereof.

8. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide. one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more, natural or recombinant, antibody or a mixture of any two or more such antibodies.

9. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more, natural or recombinant, enzyme or a mixture of any two or more such enzymes.

10. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more, natural or recombinant, protein and/or polypeptide for diagnostic use, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

11. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more, natural or recombinant, protein and/or polypeptide for human or veterinary therapeutic use, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

12. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more protein and/or polypeptide derived from one or more, natural or recombinant, animal or human blood plasma or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

13. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more protein and/or polypeptide derived from one or more, natural or recombinant, plant material, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

14. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more protein and/or polypeptide derived from one or more of animal or human milk or milk derived from a recombinant animal, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

15. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more protein and/or polypeptide derived from one or more, natural or recombinant, avian egg, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

16. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more protein and/or polypeptide derived from one or more, natural or recombinant, bacterium, yeast, fungus, virus or insect, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

17. The process of claim 3 wherein the one or more polypeptide, one or more protein or mixture of any two or more thereof comprises one or more protein and/or polypeptide derived from one or more, natural or recombinant, mammalian cell culture or animal tissue, or a mixture of any two or more such protein and/or polypeptide.

18. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture comprises at least two components to be separated.

19. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture comprises the at least one component and at least one impurity.

20. The process of claim 1 further comprising detecting the displacer compound as it emerges from the stationary phase, wherein the detecting is by one or more of UV/Visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence emission spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, pH, conductivity and one or more electrochemical method.

21. The process of claim 1 further comprising regenerating the stationary phase.

22. The process of claim 21 wherein the regenerating comprises treating the stationary phase with a solution of one or more of an alkali metal hydroxide, an alkali metal salt, an alkaline earth hydroxide, an alkaline earth salt, an organic acid, an alkyl sulfonic acid, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, a quaternary ammonium salt, an alkyl amine, wherein the solution may further comprise a suitable pH buffer.

23. The process of claim 21 wherein the regenerating comprises treating the stationary phase with a solution comprising water and an organic co-solvent.

24. The process of claim 1 wherein the displacer compound is DBQ.

25. The process of claim 1 wherein the displacer compound is DMTQ.

26. The process of claim 1 wherein the displacer compound is DBTQ.

27. The process of claim 1 wherein the displacer compound is TBTQ-A.

28. The process of claim 1 wherein the displacer compound is BTA.

29. The process of claim 1 wherein the displacer compound is DBD.

30. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture comprises one or more organic compound, drug or drug intermediate, or a mixture of any two or more thereof.

31. The process of claim 30 wherein one or more of the one or more organic compound, drug or drug intermediate is chiral.

32. The process of claim 1 wherein the mixture comprises one or more trace component, and the process further comprises one or more of detection, collection or quantification of the trace components in the mixture.