Traditionally kinetic resolutions are conducted by batch processing to recover one of the desired enantiomers of the racemate, while the product formed by the resolution is discarded due to its low purity. However, chiral materials are economically valuable and simultaneously conducting the reaction and separation, using reactive distillation, allows for both a reactant entantiomer and a product entantiomer to be recovered in high enantiomeric excess and yield. A feasible design of a continuous reactive distillation column is presented which performs a simultaneous kinetic resolution of racemic propylene oxide to produce both enantiomerically-pure propylene oxide and propylene glycol. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.