Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Enantioselective: A process such as a chemical reaction or total synthesis that produces a single enantiomer of a substance.

This ketone reduction with alpine borane is enantioselective because it produces only one of two possible alcohol enantiomers.


Reduction of the same ketone with NaBH₄ in isopropanol is not enantioselective because it produces a racemic mixture of both possible alcohol enantiomers.