Enantioselective ketone hydroacylation using Noyori's transfer hydrogenation catalyst.

An enantioselective ketone hydroacylation enables the direct preparation of lactones from keto alcohols. The alcohol is oxidized in situ to an aldehyde, obviating the need to prepare sensitive keto aldehyde substrates. Noyori's asymmetric transfer hydrogenation catalyst was applied to address challenges of reactivity, chemoselectivity, and enantioselectivity.