Methanol → methyl L-prolinate hydrochloride

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Reaction Steps

Thionyl chloride (65 ml, 0.89 mol) was added dropwise at ice-cooling for 45 min to a solution of L-proline (57.6 g, 0.50 mol) in 500 ml MeOH. The temperature was raised to reflux and after 4 h the solvent was evaporated in vacuo. MeOH was added to the residue and then evaporated repeatedly to give 86 g crude methyl (S)-2-pyrrolidinecarboxylate hydrochloride (99.6% purity by GLC) as a thick syrup. The ester (16.5 g, 0.10 mol) was transferred to a flask containing propionaldehyde (36 ml, 50 mol), 10% Pd/C (1.5 g) and 100 ml MeOH. The mixture was shaken in a Parr apparatus overnight at a hydrogen pressure of 55 psi at room temperature. Filtration and evaporation in vacuo gave 22.0 g of the crude title ester (94% purity by GLC) as a hydrochloride salt, which was used in the aminolysis in Example 11B.

Provenance & Evidence