The origin of diastereoselectivity in reductions of chiral ketones has been extensively analyzed and modeled. According to a model advanced by Felkin, diastereoselectivity is controlled by the relative energy of the three transition states I, II, and III. Transition state I is favored in the absence of polar groups on the α carbon, and stereoselectivity increases as the size of the achiral ketone substituent (R) increases. Transition state III is favored for reductions of alkyl ketones in which R is an electron-withdrawing group, because the nucleophile and electron-withdrawing substituent prefer to be as far away from one another as possible.
Diastereoselectivity in reductions of cyclic ketones has also been studied. Conformationally flexible ketones undergo axial attack by the hydride reagent, leading to the equatorial alcohol. Rigid cyclic ketones, on the other hand, undergo primarily equatorial attack to afford the axial alcohol. Preferential equatorial attack on rigid ketones has been rationalized by invoking "steric approach control"—an equatorial approach of the hydride reagent is less sterically hindered than an axial approach. The preference for axial attack on conformationally flexible cyclic ketones has been addressed by a model put forth by Felkin and Anh. The transition state for axial attack (IV) suffers from steric strain between any axial substituents and the incoming hydride reagent. The transition state for equatorial attack (V) suffers from torsional strain between the incoming hydride reagent and adjacent equatorial hydrogens. The difference between these two strain energies determines which direction of attack is favored, and when R is small, torsional strain in V dominates and the equatorial alcohol product is favored.