The kinetics of asymmetric hydrogenation of methyl levulinate in the presence of the (COD)Ru(2-methylallyl)(2)-BINAP-HCl catalytic system was studied. The kinetic order in H-2, as well as in the catalyst, was found to be equal to 1, whereas the kinetic order for the substrate and HCl falled from 1 to 0 with their increasing starting concentration. The kinetic and P-31 NMR data testify that the mechanism of the reaction under consideration, most likely, involves the hydride transfer to the protonated substrate in the dinuclear ruthenium complex as the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.