Applications of chiroptical spectroscopy for the characterization of pharmaceutical compounds

Many pharmaceutical compounds contain one or more centers of dissymmetry, thus presenting a unique series of regulatory and compendial requirements. Although most often characterized using chiral chromatography, these molecules can be effectively studied using the various techniques of chiroptical spectroscopy. Techniques which have been found to be very useful for such work include polarimetry, optical rotatory dispersion, circular dichroism, and circularly polarized luminescence. The principles underlying each effect will be briefly outlined, and the application of each illustrated through the inclusion of appropriate examples.