Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin · 1984 · 70 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesChemistryOrganic ChemistrySelectivity OptimizationAsymmetric ReductionsCarbonyl ReductionKetonesOlefin ReductionStereoselectivityStereoselectivity Control
Zinc borohydride reduction of α-methyl-β-hydroxy ketones 3 produced the erythro-2-methyl-1, 3-glycol derivatives 4 with high stereoselectivity. The selectivity was particularly high when an olefinic group was conjugated to the carbonyl group. Reduction of the same system with NaBH4 and LiBH4 showed poor selectivity.