Enantiomeric Partioning Using Fluorous Biphase Methodology
When a chiral acid is esterified by a fluorous alcohol, catalysed by an enzyme, in a fluorous phase mixed with hexane at 40oC, the products, after cooling, partition between the two phases. (The phases are miscible at 40oC but not at OoC). The enzyme can be filtered off and the esterified product goes in to the fluorous phase, the resolved acid in the hexane phase (Beier P et al, Chem Commun, 2002, 1680). The easy separation process coupled with the high ees of each product may have potential for larger scale work, if the solvents can be efficiently recycled.
