Highly efficient resolutions with isopropylidene glycerol 3-carboxy-2-naphthoate

A number of chiral 1-arylethylamines and 1-alkylethylamines were resolved with the 3-carboxy-2-naphthoate of isopropylidene glycerol 2, previously reported to be an even more efficient resolving agent for 1-phenylethylamine than the corresponding hemiphthalate 1. The results obtained for the 1-arylethylamines confirm such a trend, revealing impressive resolution ability, in particular, for 1-(4-bromophenyl)-, 1-(4-nitrophenyl)- and 1-(2-naphthyl)ethylamine, whose enantiomers were almost quantitatively separated with (S)-2 by a single precipitation of the less soluble (S,S) diastereomeric salt. Additionally, the success of the resolutions of 1-alkylethylamines (1-phenyl-2-propylamine, 1-cyclohexylethylamine and 2-butylamine), which could not be resolved with 1, indicates that the novel carboxy ester 2 has a wider range of application than 1.