Asymmetric synthesis of syn 1,2-diols 3 has been accomplished via the reaction of the chiral gamma-alkoxy-substituted allylstannane 1 with aldehydes in the presence of AlCl3 or AlCl3.OEt2, followed by a five-step operation to remove the chiral auxiliary.
Yamada, Jun-Ichi; Abe, Hidenori; Yamamoto, Yoshinori, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 1990, vol. 112, # 16, p. 6118 - 6120