Diarylprolinol in an asymmetric aldol reaction of an α-alkyl-α-oxo aldehyde as an electrophile.

The direct aldol reaction of an α-alkyl-α-oxo aldehyde was catalyzed by trifluoromethyl-substituted diarylprolinol 1 to afford a γ-oxo-β-hydroxy-α-substituted aldehyde in good yield with excellent anti-selectivity and excellent enantioselectivity. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012