Kinetic Resolution with a Polymer-Supported Resolving Agent

Abstract

When contacting an insoluble copolymer functionalized by (+)-alpha-methylbenzylamine with a resin-swelling solvent containing racemic mandelic acid, the fixation of acid in the solid phase is observed to be partial and stereoselective. Comparison of obtained experimental results with those evolved from a simple mathematical model shows that the considered process is largely under kinetic control. Furthermore, the described process provides an indirect way to obtain optically pure mandelic acid.