CHIROPTICAL SPECTROSCOPIC STUDIES OF PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOUNDS

A significant number of pharmaceutical compounds contain one or more c enters of dissymmetry, which presents a unique series of regulatory an d compendial requirements. These molecules can be effectively characte rized using chiroptical spectroscopy, the exact nature of which is dic tated by the nature of the problem to be investigated. Techniques that have been found to be very useful for such work include polarimetry, optical rotatory dispersion, circular dichroism, and circularly polari zed luminescence. The principles underlying each effect are briefly ou tlined, and the application of each is illustrated with appropriate ex amples. (C) 1997 Academic Press.