Spontaneous Enantiomeric Resolution of 1,3-Diols from the Naphtylidene Derivative of 2,4-Pentanedione

Enantiomers (2S, 4S)- and (2R, 4R)-3-(naphthalene-1-ylmethyl) pentane-2,4-diols were synthesized by the reduction of (Z)-4-hydroxy-3-(naphthalene-1-ylmethyl) pent-3-en-2-one with NaBH4 in methanol (MeOH). Crystallization in dichloromethane of this racemic mixture led to simple crystals with a crystalline habit with similar morphologies; however, in a group of them, it was possible to find a barely observable difference that allowed determining a crystal structure for each of the enantiomers, the 2S,4S, and the 2R,4R.