HERSTELLUNGSVERFAHREN EINES OPTISCH AKTIVEN ALKOHOLS.

摘要

A carbonyl compound represented by the formula: wherein A represents C1-7 alkyl or haloalkyl, optionally substituted phenyl, or optionally substituted benzyl; and B represents C1-4 acyl, C1-7 alkoxycarbonyl, haloalkyl, hydroxycarbonyl, C1-7 alkoxyalkyl, hydroxymethyl, optionally substituted benzoyl or C1-7 alkyl-substituted aminomethyl; or A and B with the adjacent C atom form an optionally substituted cyclic 5- or 6-membered 1,2-diketone, is dissolved in amphiprotic solvent and there is added 100-1/50,000 mol of a ruthenium-optically active phosphine derivative as catalyst, e.g. of formula RuxHyClz(R-BINAP)2-(S)p (III) or [RuH1(R-BINAP)v]Yw (V) wherein BINAP is a specific tertiary phosphine group. The compound (I) is reacted with hydrogen at a pressure of 5-40 kg/cm<2> for 1-48 hours and there is recovered in high yield as product an optically active alcohol of the formula (II) wherein the =C=O group has become =CH-OH.