ABSTRACT
Preparative liquid chromatography (PLC) has been used in the pharmaceutical industry for years to purify small molecular weight molecules [1-7]. Early in the development of a potential pharmaceutical compound, speed is a critical issue. It is important to minimize the time required from discovery to administration of the compound to humans in Phase I clinical trials. Often the most time-consuming process is the development of a synthetic method that produces material of suitable purity for clinical trails. One approach is to use a nonoptimized synthetic method and purify the final product using preparative chromatography. This approach can reduce development time by eliminating the need to optimize each chemical reaction and develop a final recrystallization or other purification method.
