Method of evaluating the catalytic activity of a rare earth alkoxide

A method of evaluating the catalytic activity of a rare earth alkoxide, comprising the steps consisting of:

• preparing a rare earth complex catalyst consisting of a reaction product obtained by reacting a rare earth alkoxide Ln(OR)3 as the subject of evaluation wherein Ln represents a rare earth and R represents a C1 to C5 alkyl group, with optically active 2,2′-dihydroxy-1, 1′-binaphthol (BINOL) represented by formulae 1 and 2:
• 5
• and using the reaction product to conduct the asymmetric epoxidation of an enone represented by formula 3:
• 6
• wherein R1, R2, R3and R4 independently represent a hydrogen atom or a C1-10 alkyl group, an aromatic group and an imidazolyl group, each of which may be substituted with a halogen atom, a C1-10 alkyl group, an aromatic group, and an aromatic group which may be substituted with 1 to 3 halogen atoms, in order to measure the amount of an epoxy enone formed, the amount of the unreacted enone, and enantiomeric excess.