Chiral ferrocenyl amino alcohols as analogues of norephedrine catalysts for enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde

Optically active ferrocenyl amino alcohols have been prepared from commercially available l-alaninol and l-leucinol. They have been used in catalytic amounts as chiral ligands in the addition of diethylzinc to benzaldehyde. 1-Phenylpropanol has thus been obtained in up to 95% enantiomeric excess.