Advantages and limitations of the use of structurally similar compounds in racemate resolution viadiastereoisomeric salt formation are discussed in this review. An effective conception on "derivativeresolving agents" (use of the optically active derivatives of a racemate as resolving agents)is presented by examples and the method is extended to the homologous series of the derivative resolvingagents and/or achiral additives. A recently developed distillation version of the family approachto optical resolution and the novel, solvent-free resolution methods using a half equivalent amountof resolving agent are also discussed.