NSF Award
9660465
This proposal addresses a new means to separate chiral molecules useful in the synthesis of biologically active molecules, such as drugs, pesticides, etc. This process should afford a marked decrease in the economics of producing such synthons. because it allows for simultaneous product resolution, concentration, and purification. There is an increasing trend toward separate regulation of enantiomeric pairs of the chiral molecules found in many modern pharmaceuticals. Because typically only one of the two (or more) enantiomers possesses the desired biological activity, there is an increasing desire to perfect chemical processes which will yield chirally pure products. The proposed liquid membrane bioreactor, based on a hybrid reaction - separation scheme, is designed to meet such a need. More economical routes to purer, biologically active drugs and pesticides are offered by the enhanced liquid membrane bioreactor proposed. Highly value-added products of this sort represent an increasingly large segment of a multibillion dollar market, and current trends in legislation and pharmaceutical development favor the commercialization of such process technologies.
