Chemoenzymatic approach to novel chiral difunctionalised ferrocenes

The optimisation of the kinetic resolution of 1,2-dihydroxy-3-ferrocenylpropane, (±)-1, by lipase-catalysed transesterification reactions is discussed. Enantiomerically pure forms of 1 gave access to the corresponding epoxide 8 that had been used as a homochiral starting material for the preparation of several difunctionalised ferrocenes bearing a stereocentre at the ?-position of the ferrocene backbone.