Chiral Resolution by Seeded Crystallization: The Case of Arabitol

First demonstrated by Pasteur, chiral separation by crystallization is perhaps the simplest method to resolve a racemic mixture into pure enantiomers, but is considered inapplicable to most chiral compounds (90–95%) due to their spontaneous crystallization as a compound where the opposite enantiomers coinhabit the unit cell. Here, we demonstrate that chiral separation by crystallization can occur by seeding in a system (neat arabitol melt) that otherwise crystallizes a racemic compound. The approach helps extend chiral separation by crystallization to systems that were previously thought impossible.