| abstract |
Optically active, halogen-containing alcohols useful as intermediate of liquid crystal compounds are prepared in which an enzyme originated from microorganisms selected from the genera of Chromobacterium, Alcaligenes, Candida, Geotrichum, Humicola, Mucor, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Pseudomonas or an enzyme originated from wheat malt, such as wheat germ, is allowed to react, in organic solvents, with a racemic, halogen-containing alcohol of the formula [I] :n nwherein R 1 is a halogen-containing alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms ; and R 2 is a group selected from alkyl and aralkyl groups having 4 to 16 carbon atoms, substituted and unsubstituted aryl groups and -CH 2 -COO-R 5 wherein R 5 is an alkyl or aralkyl group having 2 to 16 carbon atoms, and a vinyl ester of the formula [II] :n nwherein R 3 is an alkyl, substituted alkyl or alkenyl group having 1 to 11 carbon atoms ; and R 4 is a substituted or unsubstituted vinyl group having 2 to 4 carbon atoms, until the corresponding (S)-type or (R)-type isomer of the compound [I] is obtained. |