Improved solubility of β-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes by using liquid ammonia as a solvent and the possibility of asymmetric reduction

Abstract Dramatic improvement in the poor solubility of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and its inclusion complexes in water was achieved by using liquid ammonia (liq. NH 3 ) instead of water as the solvent. Asymmetric NaBH 4 reduction of the carbonyl groups of the inclusion complexes in liq. NH 3 was examined in a homogeneous condition to give the corresponding alcohols with moderate chirality.