Highly Efficient Absolute Optical Resolution with Circularly Polarized Light via Two Serial Enantioselective Reactions of Acetylene Monomers Bearing a Racemic Substituent

Abstract

The first absolute optical resolution only by circularly polarized light without any chiral compounds has been developed by serially connecting the two enantioselective reactions we developed, that is, the enantiomer-selective helix-sense-selective polymerization and helix-sense-selective decomposition by circularly polarized light. The optical yield was high, 78% ee for menthol.