(+/-)-7,7'-Dihydroxy-8,8'-biquinolyl (6) was resolved into its enantiomorphic atropisomers via reverse phase (C18) chromatographic separation of epimeric bismenthyl carbonates, (-)-lk-9 and (+)-ul-9, derived from 6 and (+)-menthyl chloroformate. The faster eluting diastereoisomer, (-)-lk-9, was revealed to possess an (aS)-configurated biaryl axis by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Saponification of the separated bismenthyl carbonates gave enantioenriched samples of biquinolyl 6, and absolute stereochemical configurations were assigned to the two optical isomers as (-)-(aS)-6 and (+)-(aR)-6 by correlation with their respective progenitors, (-)-lk-9 and (+)-ul-9. First-order rate constants for the enantiomerization of 6 in water were obtained over the temperature range 316-366 K, and activation parameters were determined as DeltaH(++) = 34.0 kcal mol(-1) and DeltaS(++) = 18.7 cal mol(-1) K(-1) by Eyring plot analysis. A low level (AM1) computational study of the rotational dynamics of 6 showed excellent agreement with kinetic experimental data and suggested that enantiomerization occurs preferentially via a syn pathway. In common with (-)-(aS)-1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL), (-)-(aS)-6 showed positive exciton chirality in its electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectrum and gave a characteristic couplet composed of a positive maximum Cotton effect at 250 nm and a negative minimum at 234 nm (Delta Delta epsilon = +40 M(-1) cm(-1) at 64% ee).