A graduate student wishes to separate a racemic mixture of acids prepared in the laboratory as shown below.The best way(s)to accomplish this task is:

Question

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The best way to separate a racemic mixture of acids is to react it with a chiral amine to form diastereomers, then crystallize the desired enantiomer. This process takes advantage of the fact that the diastereomers will have different physical properties (e.g. melting point) that can be used to separate them. Distillation and water solubility are not effective methods for separating racemic mixtures, as both enantiomers will have similar boiling points and solubility properties. Column chromatography can be effective but requires more specialized equipment and expertise compared to the diastereomer formation method.

A Graduate Student Wishes to Separate a Racemic Mixture of Acids