in a preferred embodiment , the inventive method is used to resolve the racemate of (±)- azabicyclo ( 2 . 2 . 1 )- hept - 5 - en - 3 - one into the corresponding enantiomers . as discussed above , the resolution of the enantiomers in question on the industrial scale can be achieved by the method of liquid chromatography . the general principle of liquid chromatography is well - known to those of ordinary skill in the art . for example , separations with so - called “ pancake columns ” in the batch chromatography method are suitable . particularly preferred , however , is the use of quasi - continuous cyclic liquid chromatography , possibly with “ recycling ” and “ peak shaving ” ( j . chromatogr . 1994 , 666 , 627 - 650 ), or the method of continuous smb chromatography ( mazzotti et al ., chiral europe 1996 , 103 if . ; strube et al ., organic process research & amp ; development 1998 , 2 , 305 - 319 ; juza et al ., git spezial chromatographie 1998 , 2 , 108 ff . ; european patent 0878222 ; schulte et al ., chemie ingenieur , technik 1966 , 68 , 670 - 683 ). the stationary phase used in the method of the present invention is derivitized with at least one sugar derivative . preferred sugar derivatives include those based on amylose or cellulose . several derivatives modified in this way are known ( see bull . chem . soc . jpn . 1995 , 68 , 3209 - 3307 ). esters and carbamates of these materials in particular are suitable . for this purpose the sugar derivatives can be used in native form or absorbed on a support material . silica gel is preferred as a suitable support material . it has been found particularly advantageous to use a material containing sugar derivatives or microcrystalline cellulose esters absorbed on silica gel . extremely preferred is the use of amylose - derivatized silica gel columns as the stationary phase ( such as chiralpak as ® from daicel co .). the moving phase used in the present invention , i . e ., the eluant , preferably contains acetonitrile . to improve the separation capabilities , however , acetonitrile maybe mixed with other solvents which are suitable for hplc . in a preferred embodiment , however , acetonitrile is the main component of the moving phase mixture . methanol has proved to be a preferred solvent in such mixtures . especially preferred is the embodiment in which acetonitrile and methanol are present as main components in the moving phase mixture . thus , the eluant preferably contains at least 50 % by volume of acetonitrile . alternatively the eluant may contain at least 70 %, 80 %, or 90 % by volume of acetonitrile . generally , the pressure or temperature used for the separation may vary over a wide range . the parameters should be matched to one another such that optimal separation capacity is achieved at the highest possible flowrates . usually , the pressure to be used ranges from 0 . 3 to 2 . 0 mpa , preferably from 0 . 5 to 0 . 7 mpa , and the temperature from 20 to 40 ° c ., preferably 22 to 28 ° c . the subject matter of the invention also includes the use of the mirror - image isomers of the lactam of formula ( i ) synthesized according to the invention for synthesis of active agents having biological activity . such transformations are well - known to those of ordinary skill in the art of organic synthesis . preferably , the active agent produced from the enantiomer is a carbocyclic nucleoside analog . the present inventive separation method takes place in very robust manner as compared to enzymatic methods . the materials used have long shelf lives and the method also permits continuous synthesis of the enantiomers , which is extremely advantageous for an industrial process . a chromatographic separation of the enantiomers of these substances as described herein has never yet been mentioned in the literature . the choice of column material and moving phase from the several thousands of possible combinations makes possible the simple and nevertheless very successful separation of the enantiomers . within the scope of the invention the term protective group is understood as a moiety selected from the group comprising formyl , acetyl , propionyl , methoxycarbonyl , ethoxycarbonyl , tert - butoxycarbonyl , z , fmoc , or benzyl . the dashed line in formula ( i ) means that a double bond can be optionally present the two carbon atoms . as used herein , the term “ liquid chromatography ” refers to low pressure liquid chromatography ( lplc ), medium pressure liquid chromatography ( mplc ) or high pressure liquid chromatography ( hplc ). preferably , the separation factor achieved with the method of the present invention is at least 1 . 1 . preferably , the separation factor is higher than this value , such as at least 1 . 2 , 1 . 3 , 1 . 4 , or 1 . 6 , or even higher . in another embodiment of the present invention , the enantiomers isolated from the stationary phase have an enantiomer excess value ( ee ) of at least 50 %. preferably , the ee is at least 80 %, more preferably at least 95 %, and most preferably at least 98 %. the ee may be 99 %, 99 . 5 %, or even higher . having generally described this invention , a further understanding can be obtained by reference to certain specific examples which are provided herein for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting unless otherwise specified . sample : 10 mg each of (±)- azabicyclo ( 2 . 2 . 1 )- hept - 5 - en - 3 - one and 1 , 3 , 5 - tri - tert - butylbenzene ( fluka ) as t 0 markers are weighed into a 10 ml volumetric flask and made up to the mark with the respective eluent . 20 μl of this solution is injected . column packing : suspend 220 g of support material ( 20 μm ) in 1400 ml of acetonitrile and transfer into the filling tube , cover with acetonitrile up to the top rim , firmly seal the filling tube and compact the column material at 150 bar . sample preparation : 150 mg of (±)- azabicyclo ( 2 . 2 . 1 )- hept - 5 - en - 3 - one is dissolved in 15 ml of eluent and filtered through a membrane filter . the total volume of the clear filtrate is placed on the column . about 1 . 5 g of racemate in total is chromatographed . fractionation : resolution of the racemate is achieved in six cycles . cycle 1 is completely recycled . starting from cycle 2 the fractionation of the individual mirror - image isomers takes place at the points marked on the chromatogram ( fig6 ). working up : the united fractions of the individual cycles are concentrated to dryness in a rotary evaporator at about 250 to 350 mbar and a water - bath temperature of about 40 to 45 ° c . result : at a yield of 85 %, the (±)- enantiomer is obtained with an enantiomeric excess value of & gt ; 97 . 5 % and the (−)- enantiomer with an enantiomeric excess value of 98 %. obviously , numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . this application is based on german patent application serial no . 199 62 543 . 3 , filed on dec . 23 , 1999 , and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .