To a suspension of 2-(6-bromo-pyridin-2-yl)-2-tert-butoxycarbonylamino-propionic acid (14.1 g, 40.8 mmol) in THF (150 ml) was added portionwise NaBH4 (3.45 g, 90.0 mmol) at 0° C. BF3*Et2O soln. (11.39 ml, 12.75 g, 90.0 mmol) was added dropwise over a period of 15 min and the reaction mixture was allowed to stir for 17 h at rt. In order to react remaining starting material, NaBH4 (1.0 g, 26.43 mmol), and BF3*Et2O soln. (3.3 ml, 26.43 mmol) was added at 0° C. and the reaction mixture was stirred at rt for another 23 h. MeOH was added and the reaction mixture was stirred at 80° C. for 30 min, then cooled to rt and filtered. The filtrates were evaporated to leave a white foam which was taken up with EtOAc and 1N aq. NaOH soln. The phases were separated and the aq. phase was extracted three times with EtOAc. The combined org. phases were dried over Na2SO4, filtered and concentrated to leave [1-(6-bromo-pyridin-2-yl)-2-hydroxy-1-methyl-ethyl]-carbamic acid tert-butyl ester in a mixture with 2-amino-2-(6-bromo-pyridin-2-yl)-propan-1-ol. This mixture (7.5 g, 9.74 mmol) was rebocylated using Boc2O (5.65 ml, 5.31 g, 24.34 mmol) and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (65.1 ml of a 25% aq. soln., 182 mmol) in acetonitrile (100 ml). After stirring for 1.5 h at rt, the reaction mixture was quenched with H2O and diluted with EtOAc. The phases were separated and the aq. layer was twice reextracted with EtOAc. The combined org. layers were dried over Na2SO4, filtered and the solvent was removed to leave a yellow solid that was without further purification debocylated on a 8.1 g scale using 100 ml 4N aq. HCl. The reaction mixture was stirred at rt for 17 h, concentrated and the residue was taken up with H2O and EtOAc. The phases were separated and the org. phase was washed with H2O. The combined aq. phases were basified using 2N aq. NaOH soln. and then extracted with EtOAc. The phases were separated and the aq. phase was reextracted twice with EtOAc. The combined org. phases were dried over Na2SO4, filtered and concentrated to leave 2-amino-2-(6-bromo-pyridin-2-yl)-propan-1-ol as a colourless solid. HPLC RtH4=0.35 min; ESIMS: 231, 233 [(M+H)+]; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6): δ 7.73-7.63 (m, 2H), 7.45 (dd, 1H), 4.72-4.69 (m, 1H), 3.58 (dd, 1H), 3.40 (dd, 1H), 2.00 (br s, 2H), 1.26 (s, 3H).
