Because the constituent enantiomers of a racemic mixture share absolutely identical boiling and melt — Isomerism and Stereochemistry Chemistry Question
Question
Because the constituent enantiomers of a racemic mixture share absolutely identical boiling and melting points, simple fractional distillation fails to separate them. What is the highly specific chemical process used to separate a racemic mixture?
💡 Solution & Explanation
Enantiomers possess identical scalar physical properties in achiral environments. The specialized laboratory process of separating a macroscopic racemic mixture into its pure, constituent dextrorotatory and levorotatory enantiomers is officially termed "Resolution". This usually involves reacting the mixture with a chiral reagent to form separable diastereomers.