New chiral modifiers for the enantioselective hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate over Pt/Al2O3 catalysts

Abstract

Catalytic quantities of structurally simple chiral amino alcohols such as 2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-1-(1-naphthyl)ethanol can induce enantioselectivities of up to 75% e.e. in the hydrogenation of ethyl pyruvate over Pt/Al₂O₃ catalysts.