Asymmetric synthesis with a chiral catalyst generated from asymmetric autocatalysis.

A new and efficient one-pot system of asymmetric catalysis is presented in which a chiral catalyst (5-pyrimidyl alkanol) self-improves its ee by asymmetric autocatalysis and then acts as a highly enantioselective chiral catalyst for other asymmetric synthesis (addition of dialkylzincs to aldehydes) to provide products (sec-alcohols) with very high ee (up to 99%).[reaction: see text]