A dual catalyst system provides the shortest pathway for L-menthol synthesis.

We have demonstrated that a combination of enantiopure 2-diarylmethylpyrrolidines and heterogeneous Pd/BaSO(4) is an efficient catalytic system for the asymmetric hydrogenation of citral, specifically, a mixture of E-citral and Z-citral in any ratio, and that citronellal is obtained with high enantioselectivity. This dual catalyst system provides a new and more economical route to L-menthol. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012