Diethyl tartrate
Diethyl tartrate is an organic compound with the formula 2. Three stereoisomers exist, R,R-, S,S-, and R,S. They are the ethyl esters of the respective R,R-, S,S-, and R,S-tartaric acids. The R,R- and S,S- isomers are enantiomeric, being mirror images. The meso stereoisomer is not chiral. The chiral isomer is far more common.
In the Sharpless epoxidation, diethyl tartrate and titanium isopropoxide form a chiral catalyst in situ.
