Patent ID: 8309753

Claim:
A method of producing an optically active cyanohydrin compound represented by formula (3) (wherein, Q 1 and Q 2 are as defined below, and * represents that the indicated carbon atom is the optically active center) comprising reacting an aldehyde compound represented by formula (2) (wherein, Q 1 represents a hydrogen atom and Q 2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms substituted by a 2.5-dimethylphenoxy group) with hydrogen cyanide in the presence of a silyl compound and an asymmetric complex which is obtained by reacting an optically active pyridine compound represented by formula (1) (wherein, R 1 and, R 2 and R 2 represent each independently a hydrogen atom, alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, aryl group having 6 to 10 carbon atoms or aralkyl group having 7 to 11 carbon atoms, provided that R 1 and R 2 are not the same) with an aluminum halide.