Famciclovir → Diethyl 2-[2-(2-amino-6-chloropurin-9-yl)ethyl]-2-carboxymalonate

Participants

Reaction Steps

Nucleosides and Nucleotides, 15(5), 981-994 (1996) and WO 95/28402 disclose a process for the manufacture of the anti-viral agents 9-(4-acetoxy-3-acetoxymethylbut-1-yl)-2-aminopurine (famciclovir) and 9-(4-hydroxy-3-hydroxymethylbut-1-yl)guanine (penciclovir). According to this process, the ‘bromoester’ route, 2-amino-6-chloropurine is reacted with triethyl 3-bromopropane-1,1,1-tricarboxylate in the presence of base to form diethyl 2-[2-(2-amino-6-chloropurin-9-yl)ethyl]-2-carboxymalonate. The crude isolate from this alkylation reaction is then treated with sodium methoxide in methanol to form dimethyl 2-[2-(2-amino-6-chloropurin-9-yl)ethyl]malonate. This product is purified by crystallisation and then successively reduced using sodium borohydride and O-acetylated to give 9-(4-acetoxy-3-acetoxymethylbutyl)-2-amino-6-chloropurine. Famciclovir is produced directly from the latter compound by hydrogenation over a supported palladium catalyst; and penciclovir is produced from this compound by acid hydrolysis of the acetoxy groups.

Provenance & Evidence