Synthesis of (+)-2R,3R,11R,12R- and (?)-2S,3S,11S,12S-tetraphenyl-18-crown-6

The synthesis of the title crown ethers starting from optically active hydrobenzoins is described. R(+)-1,in CDCl₃ ,preferentially extracts R(+)-phenylglycine methyl ester hydroperchlorate from an aqueous solution of the racemate with a chiral recognition factor of 1.5 as shown by nmr measurements.