Patent ID: 7015348

Claim:
A method for producing an optically active β-amino acid of formula (2), wherein b is 0 or 1; the symbol * shows that the carbon atom is a chiral carbon; R 1 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a substituted cycloalkyl group, an aralkyl group, a substituted aralkyl group, an aryl group, a substituted aryl group, an alkoxy group, a substituted alkoxy group, thiophene an aralkyloxy group, a substituted aralkyloxy group, an aryloxy group or a substituted aryloxy group; R 2 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, a substituted cycloalkyl group, an aralkyl group, a substituted aralkyl group, an aryl group, a substituted aryl group, an alkoxy group, a substituted alkoxy group, an aralkyloxy group, a substituted aralkyloxy group, an aryloxy group, a substituted aryloxy group, an alkyloxycarbonyl group or an aralkyloxycarbonyl group; R 3 is an alkoxy group, a substituted alkoxy group, an aralkyloxy group, a substituted aralkyloxy group, an aryloxy group, a substituted aryloxy group, an amino group or a substituted amino group, X′ is an acid, and R 1 and R 2 or R 2 and R 3 may be combined together to form a ring, provided that R 1 and R 2 are not a hydrogen atom simultaneously, provided that R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are not substituted with a heterocyclic or heteroaryl ring, provided that R 1 and R 2 are not combined to form a heterocyclic or heteroaryl ring, and provided that R 2 and R 3 are not combined to form a heterocyclic or heteroaryl ring, which comprises contacting an enamine of formula (1), wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and X′ have the same meanings as described above, and a is 0 or 1, with hydrogen and a transition metal complex, wherein the transition metal complex comprises a metal which belongs to the eighth group of the periodic table to produce the optically active β-amino acid of formula (2).