Asymmetric Reduction Of Ketones To Chiral Platform Molecules

The enantioselective reduction of prochiral substrates including C=O double bonds is fundamentally important in the synthesis of biologically active compounds. Due to the depletion of fossil-based resources, the production of these species from renewable resources is highly desired. The enantiopure gamma-valerolactone was proposed as a biomass-based chiral platform molecule that can be easily obtained by the asymmetric reduction of levulinic acid and its esters. Synthetic schemes of the production of optically active gamma-valerolactone are presented. The effect of catalyst composition and reaction parameters on the activity and selectivity will be discussed in detail.