Preparation of flotation of optically active aliphatic carboxylic acids

Abstract From the Canadian patent

An improved process for the separation of enantiomers of a mixture of certain aliphatic carboxylic acids or esters thereof is disclosed. The process involves adding in inert liquid to the reaction solution formed by: (i) forming a salt solution comprising said racemic mixture of a C1 to C6 linear or branched aliphatic carboxylic acid and an organic or inorganic base; (ii) treating said salt solution with less than equimolar equivalents of a chiral organic nitrogenous base; (iii) precipitating from the reaction solution formed in step (ii) the less soluble diastereomeric salt; (iv) addition of a countersolvent to the slurry formed in step (iii); (v) extracting the more soluble …