Highly regio- and stereoselective reductions of carbonyl compounds in aqueous glycosidic media

Highly regioselective reductions of alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones to the corresponding allylic alcohols were performed in essentially quantitative yields in aqueous media containing either glycosidic surfactants or amphiphilic carbohydrates. Reductions of cyclohexanones and cyclohexenones lead under the same conditions, stereoselectively to reduced compounds bearing an equatorial alcohol function. Hydrophobic interactions between amphiphilic carbohydrates and lipophilic substrates were modelized and should account for the observed stereodifferentiation.