Patent ID: 7786306

Claim:
A process for resolving the S-isomer of 2-piperidin-2-yl ethanol from a mixture of isomers, the process comprising: (a) combining a solution comprising a polar, aprotic organic solvent and a mixture of isomers of 2-piperidin-2-yl-ethanol with an aliphatic alcohol solution containing an amino acid resolving agent selected from N-acetyl-L-leucine and N-acetyl-L-methionine; (b) mixing the combined solutions with additional amounts of the polar, aprotic organic solvent used in Step “a” and warming the mixture to a temperature below the boiling point of either solvent in the mixture sufficient to promote dissolution of any solids present in the mixture; (c) cooling the mixture to a temperature which permits salt precipitation therefrom; (d) isolating the precipitated salt formed in step “c”; and (e) purifying the isolated salt from Step “d” by recrystallization or slurrying with a purifying solvent, and optionally repeating the recrystallization or slurrying step until the desired enantiomeric purity is achieved.