N-trityl-aziridinyl(diphenyl)methanol as an effective catalyst in the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes

High levels of enantioselectivity have been achieved in the diethylzinc add ition to both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes, employing N-trityl-aziridin yl(diphenyl)methanol as the chiral catalyst. The R- and S-antipodes of the catalyst can readily be prepared from D- acid L-serine, respectively.