Dynamic kinetic resolution of β-azido alcohols.: An efficient route to chiral aziridines and β-amino alcohols

Enzymatic resolution of beta -azido alcohols in combination with ruthenium-catalyzed alcohol isomerization led to a successful dynamic kinetic resolution. A variety of racemic beta -azido alcohols were efficiently transformed to the corresponding enantiomericaliy pure acetates (tee up to 99% and conversion up to 98%). The synthetic utility of this procedure has been illustrated by the practical synthesis of(S)-propanolol I and (R)-beta -azido-alpha-(4-methoxyphenyl))ethanol ((R)-1c), a direct precursor of denopamine II.