Patent ID: 7629472

Claim:
A method for producing an optically active β-hydroxy ester compound represented by the general formula: wherein R 1 represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon group, R 2 represents a 5-membered nitrogen-containing heterocyclic group, which is represented by the general formula: wherein the ring may be substituted, and may have one or more heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom in addition to the nitrogen atom in the formula, and may have one or more double bonds in addition to the double bond in the formula; or the general formula: wherein the ring may be substituted, and may have one or more heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom and a nitrogen atom in addition to the nitrogen atom in the formula, and may have one or more double bonds in addition to the double bond in the formula, R 3 represents an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, R 4 represents a halogen atom or an optionally substituted silyl group, and R 5 represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, or R 4 or R 5 may be taken together to form a ring, wherein said ring may be substituted, the symbol “*” represents an optically active center, or a salt thereof, which comprises reacting, in the presence of a cinchona alkaloid selected from the group consisting of cinchonine, cinchonidine, quinine and quinidine or a salt thereof, a compound represented by the general formula: wherein R 1 and R 2 are as defined above or a salt thereof with a compound represented by the general formula: wherein R 3 , R 4 and R 5 are as defined above, and X is a halogen atom, or a polymer thereof or a salt thereof.