The first catalytic asymmetric homo-aldol reaction of ethyl
pyruvate leading to diethyl-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-4-oxoglutarate in up to 96%
enantiomeric excess is reported; this reaction has been investigated for
various catalysts, amines and solvents, and it is demonstrated that this
new reaction leads to a simple synthetic procedure for the formation of
optically active isotetronic acid derivatives.