Recoverable ( S a)-BINAM- l-prolinamide in combination with benzoic acid catalyzed the direct aldol reaction between α-chloroacetone and several aldehydes in different solvents, including water. It is possible to obtain mainly one of the isomers with good regio-, diastero-, and enantioselectivity by choosing the appropriate solvent and reaction conditions. Thus, α-chloroacetone mainly gives the anti-aldol isomer in DMF/H 2O with up to 97% ee. The crude α-chloro-β-hydroxy ketones obtained are transformed stereospecifically into the corresponding enantioenriched trans-α,β-epoxy ketones derivatives with up to 97% ee through an S N2 displacement reaction by treatment with Et 3N.