Patent ID: 6924386

Claim:
A process for preparing compounds of the general formula (1a) or (1b) where R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen or an optionally halogen- or cyano-substituted C 1 -C 30 -hydrocarbon radical in which one or more, nonadjacent methylene units may be replaced by —O—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, or —OCOO—, —S— or —NR x — groups, and in which one or more methine units may be replaced by —N═ or —P═ groups, R 3 and R 4 are each independently hydrogen, halogen, or an optionally halogen-substituted or cyano-substituted C 1 -C 30 -hydrocarbon radical in which one or more, nonadjacent methylene units may be replaced by —O—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, or —OCOO—, —S— or —NRx— groups, and in which one or more methine units may be replaced by —N═ or —P═ groups, R x is hydrogen or an optionally halogen-substituted C 1 -C 30 -hydrocarbon radical in which one or more, nonadjacent methylene units may be replaced by —O—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, or —OCOO—, —S—, —NH— or —N—C1-C20-alkyl groups, and in which one or more methine units may be replaced by —N═ or —P═ groups, and X is selected from l is an integer having the value 0 or 1, W may be O or NR 6 , R 5 may be hydrogen or an alkyl, aryl, acyl or silyl group and R 6 may be hydrogen, Si (R 1 ) 3 or an optionally halogen- or cyano-substituted C 1 -C 30 -hydrocarbon radical in which one or more, nonadjacent methylene units may be replaced by —O—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, or —OCOO—, —S—, —SO—, —SO2-, —P(R 1 )—, —P(OR 1 )—, —PO(R 1 )—, —PO(OR 1 )—, or —NR x — groups, and in which one or more methine units may be replaced by —N═ or —P═ groups, Y is CN, (C═O)—Z, (SO 2 )—Z, (P═O)(—Z) 2 or an aromatic radical where one or more methine units in the ring may be replaced by —N═ or —P═ groups and the ring may be of the heteroatoms —O—, —S— or —NH—, and where the aromatic ring is optionally halogen- or cyano-substituted or substituted by C 1 -C 30 -hydrocarbon radicals in which one or more, nonadjacent methylene units may be replaced by —O—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, or —OCOO—, —S— or —NR x -groups, and Z is an optionally halogen-substituted C 1 -C 30 -hydrocarbon radical in which one or more, nonadjacent methylene units may be replaced by —O—, —CO—, —COO—, —OCO—, or —OCOO—, —S—, or —NR x — groups, and in which one or more methine units may be replaced by —N═ or —P═ groups, or is OH, OR 1 , OSi(R 1 ) 3 , NHR 1 or NR 1 R 2 , which comprises reacting aldehydes or imines of the general formula (2) R 1 R 2 C═W (2) at a temperature of less than 15° C. in the presence of a chiral, enantiomerically pure auxiliary having at least two nitrogen donors and at least one cyclic group, with the proviso that protons present have a pKa of greater than 18 with an organozinc halide which is obtained from zinc and a reactive halogen compound of the general formula (3) Hal-R 3 R 4 C—(X) 1 —Y (3) where Hal is chlorine, bromine or iodine, and subsequently adding water, acid or base, or a reagent selected from the group consisting of an alkylating reagent, an arylating reagent, an acylating reagent and a silylating reagent.