A Study of the Influence of Base, Temperature and Reaction Time in Nitroaldol Reactions Using (R)-(+)-Glyceraldehyde Acetonide: Diastereoselective Synthesis of (4R, 5R)-Dihydro-5-((R)-1,2-Dihydroxyethyl)-4-Nitrofuran- 2(3H)-one

The Henry reaction between the nitroalkanes 6-11 and (R)-(+)-glyceraldehyde acetonide (1), was investigated in respect to the variation of the base, temperature and reaction time. Nitroalcohols 5a-f were obtained in good yields (70- 85%) and moderate to good anti-selectivities (50-79%). The transformation of the nitroalcohol 5a,b in title γ-lactone 2, a potential precursor of bioactive β-aminoacids, was also investigated.