Asymmetric Synthesis of (R)-and (S)-Moprolol

A simple and effective procedure for the enantioselective synthesis of (R)-and (S)-moprolol was described.The key step was the asymmetric synthesis of enantiopure (R)-and (S)-guaifenesin,which were synthesized from enantioenriched (R)-3-chloro-1,2-propanediol and (S)-epichlorohydrin via kinetics of hydrolysis resolution of racemic epichlorohydrin by chiral Salen-CoIIII complex.The e.e.values of both the optical compounds were above 98%,and the chemical structures of the target compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR,13C NMR,IR,and MS.