Why (1S)-camphanates are excellent resolving agents for helicen-1-ols and why they can be used to analyze absolute configurations

Results indicate that the O=CCO conformation is anti-periplanar in (M)-helicen-1-ol camphanates and syn-periplanar in (P)-helicen-1-ol camphanates as determined by molecular models and ROESY and X-ray diffraction methods. Data show that the lactone carbonyl faces the helicene ring system in the former and away from it in the latter.