RECOVERY OF OPTICAL ISOMER AND SOLVENT IN OPTICAL RESOLUTION, REUSE OF SOLVENT BY RECYCLING, AND REUSE OF OPTICAL ISOMER

摘要

A method of recovering and reusing a solvent and an optical isomer, characterized by providing a packed bed, which is disposed in the passage for circulating a solvent and packed with a packing material for optical resolution, with a port for feeding an eluent, a port for withdrawing an extract containing an optical isomer which is readily absorbed by the packing material, a port for feeding a liquid containing a mixture of optical isomers, and a port for withdrawing a raffinate containing an optical isomer which is difficultly adsorbed by the packing material, in this order; employing a pseudo-moving-bed system wherein these ports are sequentially moved in the direction of liquid flow in the packed bed; recovering the solvent and the optical isomer from the obtained extract and/or raffinate; and returning the recovered solvent to the passage for circulating a solvent, or alternatively if the solvent is not recovered, heating the extract or raffinate to racemize an undesired optical isomer and reusing the solvent containing the racemate for the separation of the optical isomers according to the pseudo-moving-bed system.