Separation and Manipulation of a Chiral Object

Abstract

Among other things, for use in directional motion of chiral objects in a mixture, a field is applied across the chamber and is rotating relative to the chamber to cause rotation of the chiral objects. The rotation of the objects causes them to move directionally based on their chirality. The method applies to sugars, proteins, and peptides, among other things, and can be used in a wide variety of applications.

1 - 5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . A method comprising
 enhancing a purity of at least one of two enantiomers in a mixture by separating molecules of the two enantiomers in each of a series of chambers, the purity of the enantiomer in at least some of the successive chambers being at increasingly higher levels, and   transferring a portion of at least one of the separated enantiomers from each of the chambers to a previous one or a next one of the chambers in the series.   
     
     
         7 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for use with an apparatus that comprises
 a chamber to hold a mixture containing one or more enantiomers;   a field source to impose a rotating field on the mixture;   the chamber having an inlet to receive the mixture, and an outlet to remove a portion of the mixture that contains at least one of the enantiomers in an elevated concentration relative to its average concentration in the mixture in the chamber; and   a chemical reaction vessel connected to the chamber to hold fluid to be delivered to the chamber;   the method comprising   analyzing or processing a reaction component in the fluid using the chamber.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  in which the analyzing or processing comprises analyzing purity of a reaction component. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  in which the analyzing or processing comprises purification of a reaction component. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 21  in which the analyzing or processing comprises determining the absolute configuration of a reaction component. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  6  in which the chiral objects comprise achiral molecules, such as lipids, that have chiral labels attached.