Spontaneous absolute asymmetric synthesis in the presence of achiral silica gel in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis.

An enantiomerically enriched pyrimidyl alkanol with either S or R configurations was obtained stochastically from the reaction between pyrimidine-5-carbaldehyde and diisopropylzinc in the presence of achiral silica gel in conjunction with asymmetric autocatalysis with amplification of chirality. Chirality 18:479–482, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.