Enantioseparation of liquid crystals and their utilization as enantiodiscrimination materials

Liquid crystals can partake in enantioseparations in several different ways. Enantiomeric purity of chiral liquid crystals as analytes is often determined using enantioselective liquid or supercritical fluid chromatography. At the same time, chiral liquid crystalline materials can be applied as a chiral selector or they can function as an auxiliary material for a different chiral selector enabling enantioseparation of various solutes in miscellaneous separation techniques. They can also be used in fabrication of matrices or surfaces sensitive towards enantiomers or employed as chiral solvents for visualizing enantiomers in NMR. In this review, all of these aspects of relationship between liquid crystals and enantiodiscrimination are discussed in an effort to encompass their versatility and with emphasis on enantioseparations.