The enantioresolution of racemic alcohols as esters of 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid (MalphaNP acid 1) and the determination of their absolute configurations on the basis of (1)H NMR anisotropy effect are described. The enantiopure MalphaNP acid (S)-(+)-1 was allowed to react with racemic 2-alkanols and 1-octyn-3-ol, yielding diastereomeric mixtures of esters, which were easily separated by HPLC on silica gel. To determine the absolute configurations of the first-eluted diastereomeric esters by the (1)H NMR anisotropy method, the general scheme was proposed. Separated esters were reduced with LiAlH(4) or hydrolyzed with KOH/EtOH to recover enantiopure alcohols.

The MαNP acid method has been applied to racemic aliphatic acetylene alcohols in order to simultaneously prepare enantiopure alcohols and to determine their absolute configurations by 1 H NMR anisotropy. Racemic acetylene alcohols 6-8, 11, and 20 were esterified with MαNP acid (S)-(+)-1 to yield diastereomeric MαNP esters which were efficiently separated by HPLC on silica gel with separation factors α in the range 1.60-1.93. The 1 H NMR anisotropy factors ∆δ [= δ(2nd fr.) -δ(1st fr.)] were calculated from the data of the first-(22a-

A novel methodology using a chiral molecular tool of MalphaNP acid (1), 2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propionic acid, useful for preparation of enantiopure secondary alcohols and determination of their absolute configurations by the (1)H NMR anisotropy method was developed; racemic MalphaNP acid (1) was enantioresolved with (-)-menthol, and the enantiopure MalphaNP acid (S)-(+)-(1) obtained was allowed to react with racemic alcohol, yielding a mixture of diastereomeric esters, which was clearly separated by HPLC on silica gel. By applying the sector rule of (1)H NMR anisotropy effect, the absolute configuration of the first-eluted MalphaNP ester was unambiguously determined. Solvolysis or reduction of the first-eluted MalphaNP esters yielded enantiopure alcohols.

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Racemic 2-aryl-2-methoxypropionic acids were enantioresolved by the use of (S)-(-)-phenylalaninol 4. For instance, racemic 2-methoxy-2-phenylpropionic acid (+/-)-7 was condensed with phenylalaninol (S)-(-)-4 yielding a diastereomeric mixture of amides, which was easily separated by HPLC on silica gel affording the first-eluted amide (-)-13a and the second-eluted amide (+)-13b: alpha = 3.19, Rs = 3.49. The absolute configuration of amide (-)-13a was determined to be (R;S) by X-ray crystallography by reference to the S configuration of the phenylalaninol moiety. Amide (R;S)-(-)-13a was converted to oxazoline (R;S)-(-)-14a, from which enantiopure 2-methoxy-2-phenylpropionic acid (R)-(-)-7 was recovered. Other 2-aryl-2-methoxypropionic acids, (R)-(-)-8, (R)-(-)-9, (R)-(+)-10, (R)-(-)-11, and (R)-(-)-12, were similarly prepared in enantiopure forms with the use of phenylalaninol (S)-(-)-4, and their absolute configurations were clearly determined by X-ray crystallography or by chemical correlation.