Question

How can a chamical change be used to separate substances

Answer 1

Some molecules react differently than others, and this difference in reactivity can be used to separate substances in a mixture.

Typically, this kind of separation is used to separate enantiomers of chiral compounds. Chiral compounds are compounds that have no superimposable mirror images of one another, and the enantiomers are the different versions of these compounds.

When separating enantiomers (which have identical chemical properties), you must first change them into diastereomers by reacting them with a pure enantiomer of another compound. These diastereomers will have different physical properties, making them much easier to sepa