Presently glycerol is considered a co-product of biodiesel industry. As the biodiesel production is exponentially increasing, glycerol generated from the transesterification of vegetable oils and fats is also being produced on a large scale, and turned out to be essential seeking for novel alternatives to the consumption of the extra volume, in crude and/or as derivatives high added value. This review mainly deals with chemical and enzymatic transformations of glycerol to obtain chiral building blocks for synthesis of pharmaceuticals and natural products.
glycerol; biodiesel; stereoselective synthesis
