Challenging the absence of observable hydrogens in the assignment of absolute configurations by NMR: application to chiral primary alcohols.

The absolute configuration of beta-chiral primary alcohols devoid of observable hydrogens on one of the beta-substituents at the asymmetric carbon (L(1)/L(2)) can be determined by comparison of the (1)H NMR of their (R)- and (S)-9-AMA ester derivatives and analysis of the Deltadelta(RS) for the L substituent and the Cbeta-H.