Separation of enantiomers: needs, challenges, perspectives

Area of Science:

• Chemistry
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Chiral compounds are vital in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, food additives, and fragrances, necessitating enantiomer separation.
• The economic and scientific significance of chiral molecules drives the need for efficient separation techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize current enantioseparation strategies at analytical and preparative scales.
• To discuss challenges in chiral separations, including data management and selector development.
• To review alternative and emerging technologies for industrial-scale enantioseparation.

Main Methods:

• Overview of existing analytical and preparative enantioseparation techniques.
• Critical review of industrial-scale alternatives like enantioselective membranes.
• Evaluation of recent trends: sensors, microanalysis, chiroptical methods, and chemical force microscopy.

Main Results:

• Current methods face challenges in data management, chiral selector choice, and understanding recognition principles.
• Enantioselective membranes offer potential for industrial processes regarding productivity, cost, and environmental impact.
• Combinatorial methods accelerate the development of novel chiral selectors.

Conclusions:

• Advancements in sensors, microanalysis, chiroptical methods, and chemical force microscopy offer new avenues for enantiomer discrimination.
• Optimizing chiral separation technologies is essential for various industries.
• Further research into chiral recognition mechanisms and industrial-scale solutions is warranted.