A revised mechanism for chemoselective reduction of esters with borane-dimethyl sulfide complex and catalytic sodium tetrahydroborate directed by adjacent hydroxyl group

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)92187-8

The plausible mechanism for the reduction of the ester groups with a strong preference for one located α to the hydroxyl groups of (S)-malates and (R,R)-tartrate-based derivatives has been proposed together with some results with regard to its applications to the syntheses of chiral synthons.