Abstract
Selective reduction of (R)-4-(trichloromethyl)-oxetan-2-one in ethanol by catalytic hydrogenation on Pd-C in the presence of KOAc gave directly ethyl (R)-3-hydroxy-4-chlorobutyrate, which can be used as a key intermediate for the synthesis of some biologically active γ-amino-β-hydroxy amino acids, (R)-carnitine and γ-amino-β-hydroxy amino acid (R)-GABOB).