Patent ID: 7906651

Claim:
A method for producing an optically active hydroxymethylated compound, comprising reacting a silicon enolate and formaldehyde, in the presence of a catalyst, in an aqueous solution or a mixed solvent of water and an organic solvent, wherein the silicon enolate is represented by the following formula: wherein R 5 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group and R 6 represents an alkyl group, a phenyl group, a benzyl group, a phenyl ethyl group, or a phenyl vinyl group, or wherein R 5 and R 6 may together with the carbon atoms to which they are bonded form an indene, 1,2-dihydronaphthylene, cyclohexene, cycloheptene or cyclopentene ring, R 7 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, a phenyl group, a benzyl group, a phenyl ethyl group, or a phenyl vinyl group, and the R 8 groups, which may be identical or different, are each alkyl groups, and the catalyst is obtained by mixing a ligand or its symmetric isomer and a Lewis acid, wherein the ligand is represented by the following formula: wherein each R 1 and R 2 group, which may be identical or different, is an alkyl group, provided that at least one of R 1 and R 2 contains at least three carbon atoms, the R 3 and R 4 groups, which may be identical or different, are each hydrogen atoms, alkyl groups containing one to four carbon atoms or alkoxy groups, the X 1 and X 2 groups, which may be identical or different, are each —OH or —OMe, and the Lewis acid is represented by MY n , wherein M is Cu, Zn, Fe, Sc or a lanthanoid element, Y is a halogen atom, OAc, OCOCF 3 , ClO 4 , SbF 6 , PF 6 or OSO 2 CF 3 and n is 2 or 3.