(S,S)-1-(Phenyl((1′-4-nitrophenyl-ethyl)amino)methyl)-2-naphthol

The Betti reaction of 2-naphthol, benzaldehyde and (S)-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethylamine without any solvent gave the corresponding aminobenzylnaphthol, that is the (S,S)-1-(phenyl((1′-4-nitrophenyl-ethyl)amino)methyl)-2-naphthol, in good yield (56%). The absolute configuration of the title compound was attributed by NMR analysis, a procedure that is reliable if compared with the data obtained by X-ray diffraction experiments.