Optical Resolution of Phenylalanine and Mandelic Acid by Complex Formation with Copper(II) Ion

The optical resolutions of phenylalanine and mandelic acid were performed by complex formation with Cu2+. D- and L-mandelic acids were completely resolved by forming a complex with L-phenylalanine, while the maximum optical purity of D- and L-phenylalanine by using D-mandelic acid was about 65%. The mole ratio of Cu2+ to phenylalanine and/or mandelic acid in the complexes was 0.5. These results were interpreted in terms of the relative stability of the complexes, i.e., the optical absorption energies in the aqueous media.