Chiral chromatography in support of pharmaceutical process research

Preparative chiral chromatography has recently become a preferred method for rapidly accessing enantiopure compounds in the pharmaceutical industry [1–8]. While preparative chromatographic enantioseparation has been practiced for a number of years by specialized researchers, the current widespread interest in the approach can be attributed in part to advances in equipment and stationary phases, but more importantly, to an increasingly widespread realization of the cost-effectiveness of this technique. In many instances, developing and executing a chromatographic enantioseparation is faster and less labour-intensive than more traditional approaches for accessing enantiopurity. Consequently, preparative chiral chromatography is increasingly used in place of, or in conjunction with, the more traditional methods of organic synthesis. We herein present a general introduction that focuses on some of the current areas of interest in the field of preparative chromatographic enantioseparation, which we hope will be useful to newcomers and experienced practitioners alike.