PROCESS FOR PRODUCING 1,2,4-BUTANETRIOL

摘要

A process for producing 1,2,4-butanetriol safely, easily, and inexpensively without posing a problem concerning wastewater. At least one of a malic diester, 3-hydroxy- gamma -butyrolactone, and a 3,4-dihydroxybutanoic ester respectively represented by formulae (I) is reduced with sodium boron hydride in an organic solvent to obtain 1,2,4-butanetriol, represented by formula (II). When optically active isomers are used as the starting compounds, substantially no racemization occurs during the reduction and optically active 1,2,4-butanetriol is obtained.