Dynamic kinetic resolution of 2-methyl-2-nitrocyclohexanol: Combining the intramolecular nitroaldol (Henry) reaction & lipasecatalysed resolution
The Henry reaction is an important base-mediated transformation in organic chemistry leading to vicinal nitroalcohols which can be converted into a wide variety of synthetic intermediates. Although the reaction is known for decades, stereo- and diastereoselective approaches leading to enantiomerically pure nitroalcohols are still challenging. In the past decade, there has been an emergence of biocatalytic protocols to resolve the products of the Henry reaction due to their mild reaction conditions and high selectivity. To date, limited research has been carried out in this area, and it is evident that there are significant limitations to be overcome before this protocol has a broad synthetic utility.