Chirosolve: A new Company with a Novel Approach to Diastereomeric Crystallization

San Francisco, California – Chirosolve, Inc. isn’t even a year old yet but the company’s Chirosolve® Kits have enabled several customers to improve the process by which they identify the ideal resolving agent/solvent combinations for their chiral separation projects. 

While classic resolution via diasteromeric crystallization remains the leading commercial method for obtaining high isomeric purities of chiral compounds, selection of the ideal combination of resolving agents and solvents is a very time consuming, labor intensive and error-prone process. 

“Conducting experiments in parallel with our Chirosolv® kits helps researchers reduce development time by up to 90% while at the same time ensuring a consistent research environment,” says Dr. Niteen Vaidya, co-founder and chief technology officer of ChiroSolve, Inc.  Because they are designed for use with robotic equipment, human error can also be eliminated.

Six different ChiroSolv® Kits each consist of 96 vials containing pre-measured quantities of unique combinations of a resolving agent and solvent, enabling scientists to screen up to 576 different combinations.  Resolving agents are chosen based on commercial viability:  readily available, inexpensive, recoverable in high yield, and less than stoichiometric quantities required.  The kits can be used to separate enantiomeric mixtures of acids, bases, alcohols, amino acids, aldehydes and ketones.

ChiroSolve also offers custom kits to meet specific customer needs as well as evaluation services using its kits to identify optimal solvents and resolving agents for a given racemic mixture.  In addition, the company provides research and development assistance for production of chiral intermediates.  “We moved into our new state-of-the-art facility equipped with NMR, LC-MS in March 2006 and are now set up to work in partnership with customers to develop highly efficient routes to chiral compounds,” states Dr. Vaidya.

Interest has been high among producers of fine and specialty chemicals, particularly for pharmaceutical applications.  In fact, Chirosolve is currently in discussions with a potential marketing partner with expertise in serving this segment of the chemical market, according to Dr. Vaidya.  “We are pleased at the success we have achieved in the first 9 months of business.  Over the next several months we will be announcing new products and partnerships that will further drive our growth.”