Enantioselective crystallization in miniemulsions based on chiral surfactants

In this letter we describe a new application of a chiral micellar system for the optical resolution of racemic compounds by crystallization. Chiral surfactants based on N-stearoyl acid were synthesized and used in order to form a chiral micellar system of calcium tartrate tetrahydrate (CaT) crystallization. It is shown for a chiral model system of CaT that crystallization in chiral miniemulsions leads to kinetic chiral resolution. In addition, crystallization in chiral miniemulsion results in crystal morphology modification.