There have been numerous intensive studies of asymmetric reductions of prochiral carbonyl compounds with various reducing reagents but the asymmetric induction still remains high interest in fınding cheaper and effective chiral modifiers of hydride reducing reagents. We have found that when NaBH4 is combined with the ZrCI4 and chiral amino alcohols, the corresponding chiral catalyst (1) forms after evolution of hydrogen gas. This chiral reducing agent has ability to reduce the carbonyl group of ketones asymmetrically to give secondary alcohols in high yields according to following equation. Interestingly, when reaction carried out in the absence of ZrC14, low yield and low enantiomeric excesses were obtained. Amino alcohols were prepared from inexpensive and easily available chiral pool amino acids in high yields
