Innovative Chiral Resolution Using Enantiospecific Co-Crystallization in Solution

A large number of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) are chiral. Most of them are synthesized as racemic mixtures, and a chiral resolution step is introduced somewhere along the production process. In this study, we have used the specific hydrogen bonding interactions present in co-crystals to develop a new resolution technique. As these interactions are strongly direction dependent, we highlighted that an enantiopure API only forms a co-crystal with one of two enantiomers of a chiral co-crystal former (or co-former). Unlike salts, a diastereomeric pair cannot be obtained. This enantiospecific behavior of co-crystal candidates suggests that a racemic mixture of this candidate can be resolved through a co-crystallization in solution, which hitherto has not been observed yet. As a study system, we chose (<i>RS</i>)-2-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)­butanamide, as the <i>S</i>-enantiomer is an API and no viable salts of this compound have been identified. The only known resolution technique for this compound is, therefore, based on chiral chromatography. Because of enantiospecific interactions with an <i>S</i>-mandelic acid coformer, we were able to selectively co-crystallize the <i>S</i>-enantiomer in acetonitrile. This enantiospecific co-crystallization in solution has been thermodynamically verified, by construction of ternary phase diagrams at different temperatures. Initial results not only validate our innovative resolution technique through co-crystallization but also furthermore already showed high efficiency, as 70% of the <i>S</i>-enantiomer could be separated from the racemic mixture in a single co-crystallization step