Patent ID: 7772426

Claim:
A method for producing L-2-amino-4- (hydroxymethylphosphinyl)-butanoic acid represented by formula (5): comprising: subjecting a compound represented by formula (1): wherein R 1 and R 2 represent, identically or differently, a hydrogen atom or a C 1-4 alkyl group, and R 3 represents a C 1-4 alkyl group, an aryl group, a C 1-4 alkyloxy group, or an aryloxy group, to a hydrogenation reaction under a hydrogen atmosphere in the presence of an asymmetric catalyst to produce a compound represented by formula (4): wherein R 1 , R 2 , and R 3 have the same meaning as in formula (1); and subjecting the produced compound represented by formula (4) to hydrolysis; said asymmetric catalyst being represented by formula (2): [Rh(R 4 )(L)]X (2) wherein R 4 represents 1,5-cyclooctadiene or norbornadiene, L represents an optically active cyclic phosphine ligand represented by formula (6) or (8), and X represents BF 4 , ClO 4 , PF 6 , SbF 6 , BPh 4 , or OTf wherein Tf represents a trifluoromethanesulfonyl group; or formula (3): [Rh(L)(Z)] 2 (3) wherein L has the same meaning as in formula (2), and Z represents a halogen atom; said formula (6) being: wherein R 5 and R 8 represent C 1-4 alkyl groups, and R 6 and R 7 represent a hydrogen atom, and Y represents a group selected from the groups represented by formula (9): said formula (8) being wherein R 9 and R 10 represent C 1-4 alkyl groups.