Simulated moving-bed chromatograph - An efficient technique to producing opticaly active compounds on an industrial scale

Since chiral stationary phases (CSP) become available for high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), preparative chromatography has been recognised more and more as an efficient tool in preparing enantiomeric pure compounds in an industrial scale, The nature of classical chromatographic techniques is a discontinuous one, so that continuous chromatographic methods are highly recommended for economic processes. An intelligent solution Por such a process is tate simulated moving-bed chromatography (SMB), which allows the continuous separation of a mixture into two components with high purity and yield, in addition to this, it saves significant amounts of eluent and packings, compared with classical chromatography. For this highly complier method it is necessary to simulate the chromatographic behaviour of the system, The basics of the SMI concept and its technical features are as well presented, as the evaluation of the SMB operating parameters. An example for an enatioseparation is given and different chromatographic methods are compared.