A convenient approach towards enantiopure (R) and (S) isomers of 2,2,2‐trifluoro‐1‐(heteroaryl)ethanols was developed. The enzyme‐catalyzed kinetic resolution of the corresponding racemic mixtures was achieved by using a two‐step protocol that involved an acylation and a hydrolysis step in the presence of Burkholderia cepacia and CAL‐B lipase (Candida antarctica lipase B), respectively. Fourteen compounds were resolved on a multigram scale by using this approach. The observed enantioselectivities correlated well with the results of molecular docking experiments.

In the title compound, C 9 H 6 F 3 NOS, the 1,3-benzothiazole ring system is essentially planar, with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.006 Å . In the crystal, molecules are linked via O-HÁ Á ÁN hydrogen bonds, forming zigzag chains along [010].