Enantioselective synthesis utilizing enantiomorphous organic crystal of achiral benzils as a source of chirality in asymmetric autocatalysis.

Chiral crystals of achiral benzils act as efficient chiral initiators of asymmetric autocatalysis to afford highly enantioenriched pyrimidyl alkanols whose absolute configurations depend upon the enantiomorph of the crystal used in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of enantiomeric excess.