Asymmetric Birch reduction in furans

Asymmetric Birch reductions have attracted a lot of interest in the past few years (for a review see Schultz AG, Chem Commun, 1999, 1263). The group of Donohue at Manchester has now found that in the reduction of furans, higher enantioselectivity can be achieved by attaching a silyl group to the nucleus (Donohoe T J et al, Tetrahedron Lett, 2001, 42, 5841). Conditions can be tailored so that the silyl protection is lost during work-up.