The asymmetric induction and catalysis of chiral reverse micelle: Asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones

Within chiral reverse micelles formed from chiral surfactants, prochiral ketones can be reduced with NaBH4 to optically active alcohols. The enantioselectivity of the reaction is affected by the structures of both surfactant and substrate, and also related to the composition of the microenvironment. The presence of some sugars can effectively increase the enantiomeric excess of the products. Copyright (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd