Abstract Enzyme??catalyzed efficient synthesis of (1R)??[3, 5??bis (trifluoromethyl) phenyl] ethanol (R)??(3), a key intermediate for aprepitant, via enantioselective transesterification of racemic 1??[3, 5??bis (trifluoromethyl) phenyl] ethanol (RS)??3 using vinyl acetate as the acyl donor in the presence of Candida antarctica lipase??B (CAL??B) in an overall yield of 84% with> 99% ee is described.
[Etayo, Pablo; Nunez-Rico, Jose Luis; Fernandez-Perez, Hector; Vidal-Ferran, Anton Chemistry - A European Journal, 2011 , vol. 17, # 50 p. 13978 - 13982]