[reaction: see text] Chloral or its hydrate undergoes the carbon-carbon bond-formation reaction with various optically active imines in the absence of any additive, followed by hydrolysis, to produce the corresponding beta-trichloromethyl-beta-hydroxy ketones in good yields with high enantioselectivities. In addition, the products with higher ee values were obtained by a simple recrystallization process
Practical asymmetric synthesis of β-hydroxy-β-trifluoromethylated ketones via the first example of the in situ generation of trifluoro-acetaldehyde and its successive asymmetric carbon–carbon bond formation reaction with chiral imines
Not only trifluoroactaldehyde ethyl hemiacetal or hydrate but also other polyfluoroalkylaldehydes acetals or hydrates react with an equimolar amount of various chiral imines, followed by hydrolysis to produce the corresponding (S)-beta-hydroxy-beta-polyfluoroalkyl ketones in good yields with good enantioselectivities; furthermore, the ee of the products can be improved by simple recrystallization.