Optically active epoxides and a process for the production thereof.

摘要

The process comprises reacting alkenyl ethylene glycols with 0.5 to 2.0 equivalents of a titanium-tetraalkoxide, a peroxide and an L-(+)- or D-(-)-dialkyl tartrate at a temperature of -78 DEG to 50 DEG C to oxidize the alkenyl ethylene glycol asymmetrically. The process of the present invention is an excellent method for producing chiral epoxides in which steric configuration of three asymmetric points can be perfectly controlled, the reaction is performed by mild conditions and the chemical yield and the optical yield are extremely high. The optically active epoxides which can be efficiently produced by the production of the present invention are useful as stating materials of several kinds of compounds. The invention also provides a member of specific optically ctive epoxides.