Process for preparing optically active alcohols

摘要

The present invention relates to a novel, highly practical method for producing optically active compounds such as optically active alcohol and optically active amine useful for various utilities such as synthetic intermediates of drugs, liquid crystal materials, and optical resolution agents, comprising hydrogen transfer-type asymmetric reduction in the presence of a transition metal catalyst and an optically active nitrogen-containing compound or a transition metal catalyst with an optically active nitrogen-containing compound as the asymmetric ligand, and a hydrogen-donating organic or inorganic compound. In accordance with the present invention, characteristically, an optically active secondary alcohol can be recovered through the hydrogen transfer-type oxidation from racemic secondary alcohol or meso-type diol.