The acid free asymmetric intermolecular α-alkylation of aldehydes with alcohols has been discovered using trifluoroethanol as solvent. This unprecedented system affords the enantioenriched functionalized primary alcohols (after NaBH4 reduction) in high yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities with wide substrate scope in the absence of any acid additive.
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Xiao et al. (2012) studied this question.
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