3-(S)-[(tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy]-2-butanone, with its CAS registry number of , could be produced through the following synthetic routes.

A. Ethyl 2-(S)-[(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy]propanoate (CAS NO.: ). An oven-dried, 500-mL, round-bottomed flask is equipped with a magnetic stirring bar and purged with dry argon. The flask is charged with 10.0 g (84.6 mmol) of (S)-(-)-ethyl lactate, 23.3 g (84.6 mmol) of tert-butyldiphenylsilyl chloride, 14.4 g (211 mmol) of imidazole, and 50 mL of dry tetrahydrofuran. The resulting white suspension is stirred vigorously at 23°C for 2 hr. (At the beginning of the stirring, a heated water bath is useful to maintain the reaction temperature.) The mixture is then filtered through glass wool into 400 mL of water and the solids are washed with two 25-mL portions of tetrahydrofuran. The filtrate is concentrated to remove tetrahydrofuran under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator. The resulting aqueous suspension is transferred to a 1-L separatory funnel and is extracted with 400 mL of ethyl acetate. The organic phase is washed with two 400-mL portions of water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator to give 30.0 g (99%) of ethyl 2-(S)-[(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy]propanoate as a clear colorless oil.

B. 3-(S)-[(tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy]-2-butanone (CAS NO.: 135367-18-9). An oven-dried, 1-L, three-necked, round-bottomed flask is charged with 20.0 g (56.2 mmol) of ethyl 2-(S)-[(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy]propanoate and the flask is fitted with a mechanical stirrer, a 100-mL addition funnel, and a rubber septum. A low temperature thermometer is inserted through the rubber septum and 250 mL of dry tetrahydrofuran is injected with a syringe. The mechanically stirred solution is cooled to -105°C and maintained until the temperature has stabilized. The addition funnel is charged with 52 mL of a 1.4 M ether solution of halide-free methyllithium (73 mmol) and this solution is added dropwise with mechanical stirring over 35–40 min. The internal temperature is never allowed to rise above -100°C. When addition is complete, 20 mL (158 mmol) of trimethylsilyl chloride is injected and the resulting clear solution is warmed to room temperature over 20 min with the aid of a water bath. At this time 200 mL of 1 N hydrochloric acid is added and vigorous stirring is continued for 1 hr. The mixture is poured slowly into a 2-L Erlenmeyer flask containing 30 g of solid sodium bicarbonate and then concentrated to remove tetrahydrofuran under reduced pressure using a rotary evaporator. The resulting aqueous suspension is transferred to a 1-L separatory funnel and extracted with 400 mL of ethyl acetate. The organic layer is washed with two 400-mL portions of water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated using a rotary evaporator to give 18.2 g (99%) of 3-(S)-[(tert-butyldiphenylsilyl)oxy]-2-butanone as a clear colorless oil.