The process leverages the chiral nature of enzymes, which means they can distinguish between different enantiomers of a substrate. When a racemic mixture (a 50:50 mixture of two enantiomers) is exposed to an enzyme, the enzyme will typically react faster with one enantiomer over the other, leading to the preferential conversion of one enantiomer into a different compound. This can then be separated, leaving behind the unreacted enantiomer.
