Organocatalysis in Natural Product Synthesis: A Simple One-Pot Approach to Optically Active β-Diols

Optically active beta-diols have been prepared using an organocatalytic one-pot approach from alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes using (E)-benzaldehyde oxime as nucleophile in an oxa-Michael reaction with subsequent in situ reduction or Grignard addition. With this protocol at hand, two biologically active compounds, an insect sex pheromone and a glycerol kinase substrate have been synthesized.