Enantiomerically enriched trifluoromethyl-substituted alcohols having a quaternary center of chirality can be prepared by the catalytic enantioselective addition of carbon nucleophiles to trifluoromethyl ketones, trifluoropyruvates, or the like. In particular, chiral lanthanide(III) salt complexes of 3,3′-bis[(diethylamino)-methyl]-1,1′-binaphthalene-2,2′-diol (Binolam) were examined as catalysts for the enantioselective addition of nitromethane to alkyl, aryl, or alkynyl trifluoromethyl ketones. The corresponding nitroaldols were obtained in moderate chemical yields and good enantioselectivities. The absolute configuration of the product was determined to be S when the lanthanum complex (Δ,S,S,S)-[(Binolam)3La(OTf)3] was used as a catalyst (25 mol%) in the presence of an equivalent amount of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene in anhydrous acetonitrile. The nitroaldol adducts were reduced to the corresponding amino alcohols by nickel boride (nickel chloride/sodium tetrahydroborate) in methanol.