Process for preparing chiral compounds from recemic epoxides by using chiral salen catalysts

Abstract

The present invention relates to chiral salen catalysts and a process for preparing chiral compounds from racemic epoxides by using them. More particularly, the present invention is to provide chiral salen catalysts and its use for producing chiral compounds such as chiral epoxides and chiral 1,2-diols economically in high yield and high optical purity by performing stereoselective hydrolysis of racemic epoxides, wherein the chiral salen catalyst comprises a cationic cobalt as a center metal of chiral salen ligand and counterions having weak nucleophilic property to resolve disadvantages associated with conventional chiral salen catalysts, and can be used continuously without any activating process of used catalysts because it does not loose a catalytic activity during the reaction process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.