The title dienones (2) and (5) were prepared from the chiral alcohols (7a) and (7b) respectively. These key starting materials were in turn available from the reduction of 3-acetyl-5-benzyloxy-8-methoxy-1,2- dihydronaphthalene (6a) and 3-acetyl-8-benzyloxy-5-methoxy-1,2- dihydronaphthalene (6b) with lithium aluminium hydride modified with (—)-N- methylephedrine and N- ethylaniline . Chiral phase high-pressure liquid chromatography was used to analyse the enantioselectivity of these reductions which were shown to yield variable results depending upon the origin of the reducing agent.