We investigated the separation of chrysanthemate isomers (1), particularly the (1R)-trans form, by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using polysaccharide derivatives, such as the phenylcarbamates and benzoates of cellulose and amylose, as the chiral stationary phases (CSPs). The chiral packing materials (CPMs) having a high chiral recognition for the chrysanthemic acid ethyl ester (1a) were prepared by coating cellulose tris(4-methylbenzoate) (2a) dissolved in solvents containing methyl benzoate or acetophenone as an additive on silica gel. The separation factor for la significantly depended on the preparation conditions of CPM 2a, such as the coating amount of 2a and the type and amount of additives. The chiral recognition ability created by imprinting the additives was lost when the CPM was heated at a high temperature, and was recovered by contacting it with the additive in a packed column. The structural change in 2a during these treatments was not clearly detected by spectroscopic methods. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.