Enzymatic resolution of alcohols coupled with ruthenium-catalyzed racemization of the substrate alcohol

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.199712111

A specifically designed acyl donor, an efficient enzyme, and a stable and reliable ruthenium catalyst are fundamental for the resolution of the racemic alcohols described here (see scheme on the right). For R¹ = Ph and R² = Me, 100% conversion into the corresponding acetate was achieved with greater than 99.5% cc.