| Abstract: | The reduction of dimenthyl ketophosphonates with sodium borohydride involves asymmetric induction at the α‐carbon atom, resulting in a small excess of the (R)‐enantiomer of the α‐hydroxyphosphonate formed. A higher ee purity was achieved if the reduction of chiral dimenthyl ketophosphonates was carried out by the chiral complex of NaBH4‐L ‐proline, owing to the double asymmetric induction at the α‐carbon atom. The hydroxyphosphonates obtained were isolated in a diastereomerically pure state and were transformed to the optically active, free hydroxyalkylphosphonic acids. The (R)‐configuration of one of them was proved by X‐ray crystal structure analysis. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:133–139, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20391 |
