Patent ID: 8076503

Claim:
A process for producing optically active aminophosphinylbutanoic acids represented by the formula (2): wherein R 1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), R 2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), R 3 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), an aryl group, an aryloxy group, or a benzyloxy group, and R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s); and * represents an asymmetric carbon atom, comprising asymmetrically hydrogenating a compound represented by the formula (1): wherein R 1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), R 2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), R 3 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), an alkoxy group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s), an aryl group, an aryloxy group, or a benzyloxy group, and R 4 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atom(s) in the presence of a ruthenium-optically active phosphine complex, wherein the optically active phosphine compound constituting the ruthenium-optically active phosphine complex is an optically active substance of phosphine represented by the formula (3): wherein each of R 5 , R 6 , R 7 , and R 8 independently represents a phenyl group that may be substituted with a substituent selected from a group consisting of a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, and a lower alkoxy group, a cyclopentyl group, or a cyclohexyl group, or the formula (4): wherein each of R 9 , R 10 , R 11 , and R 12 independently represents a phenyl group that may be substituted with a substituent selected from a group consisting of a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, and a lower alkoxy group, a cyclopentyl group, or a cyclohexyl group; R 13 , R 14 , 16 , and 17 independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, a halogen atom, a haloalkyl group, or a dialkylamino group, and R 15 and R 18 represent an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an acyloxy group, a halogen atom, a haloalkyl group, or a dialkylamino group; two of R 13 , R 14 , and R 15 may form a methylene chain that may have a substituent or a (poly)methylenedioxy group that may have a substituent and two of R 16 and R 17 and R 18 may form a methylene chain that may have a substituent or a (poly)methylenedioxy group that may have a substituent; and further, R 15 and R 18 may form a methylene chain that may have a substituent or a (poly)methylenedioxy group that may have a substituent.