Pirkle's alcohol is an off-white, crystalline solid that is stable at room temperature when protected from light and oxygen.

The molecule is named after William H. Pirkle, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois whose group reported its synthesis and its application as a chiral shift reagent.

Alternatively, trifluoromethyl 9-anthryl ketone may be reduced with sodium borohydride to generate racemic Pirkle's alcohol.

The enantiomers are then derivatized to diastereomeric carbamates using enantioenriched 1-(1-Naphthyl)ethyl isocyanate (also developed by Pirkle).

These diastereomers may be separated by column chromatography and hydrolyzed to obtain each enantiomer of Pirkle's alcohol in enantiopure form.