Diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols

The vicinal amino alcohol is a common motif in natural products and pharmaceuticals. Amino acids constitute a natural, inexpensive, and enantiopure choice of starting material for the synthesis of such functionalities. However, the matters concerning diastereoselectivity are not obvious. This Perspective takes a look in the field of diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols starting from amino acids using various methods. In this era of enantioselective catalysis, diastereoselective synthesis still remains a central objective. In this Perspective the general issues determining diastereoselectivity in the synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols are discussed.