Bakers’ yeast reduction of α-substituted or β,β-disubstituted α,β-unsaturated ketones gave saturated chiral ketones with excellent optical purity, while the β,β-disubstituted derivative remained intact.
α-Methoxyallyl sulfides prepared from methoxy(phenylthio)methane proved to be a novel acylanionequivalent providing a new synthetic method for α-methylenated ketones.