Tetrahedron Letters

A useful method for preparing optically active secondary alcohols: A short enantiospecific synthesis of (R)-and (S)-sulcatol

CM Afonso, MT Barros, L Godinho, CD Maycock

Index: Afonso, Carlos M.; Barros, M. Teresa; Godinho, Licio; Maycock, Christopher D. Tetrahedron Letters, 1989 ,  vol. 30,  # 20  p. 2707 - 2708

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Citation Number: 6

Abstract

Abstract The epimeric 2-(1-Hydroxyethyl)-5-methyl-4-hexenoic acids have been prepared by bakers yeast reduction of the corresponding oxo compound or by alkylation of an optically pure 3-hydroxybutanoate. Radical chain decarboxylation afforded the antipodes of sulcatol. The method is probably widely applicable to the synthesis of other optically pure alcohols.