Enzymatic approach to enantiomerically pure 5-alken-2,4-diols and 4-hydroxy-5-alken-2-ones: Application to the synthesis of chiral synthons

An enzyme-mediated preparation of enantiomerically pure 5-alken-2,4-diols and 4-hydroxy-5-alken-2-ones, obtained by reduction of their corresponding aldol derivatives is described. The synthetic versatility of the chirons is demonstrated by employing them as key intermediates in a new de novo approach to deoxy sugars.