Ammonium formate → Methyl {3-[(2R)-2-aminopropyl]phenyl}acetate

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Reaction Steps

A solution of methyl[3-((2R)-2-{[(1R)-1-phenyl-ethyl]-amino}-propyl)-phenyl]-acetate (Preparation 64) (13.65 g, 40.9 mmol) and ammonium formate (12.9 g, 204 mmol) in ethanol (200 ml) was heated at reflux in the presence of 20% of palladium hydroxide on charcoal (Pd(OH)2/C, 1.36 g). After 3 hours the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, filtered through arbocel and the filtrate concentrated in vacuo. The residue was partitioned between dichloromethane (200 ml) and 880 ammonia (100 ml) and the organic phase separated. The aqueous phase was extracted with further dichlorormethane (3×100 ml) and the combined organic extracts washed with brine (100 ml), dried (sodium sulfate) and reduced in vacuo to give the title compound (8.48 g) as a pale yellow oil. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ=7.90-7.87 (2H, m), 7.38-7.34 (2H, m), 3.90 (3H, s), 3.26-3.17 (1H, m), 2.78-2.73 (1H, dd), 2.64-2.59 (1H, dd), 1.14-1.12 (3H, d) ppm. LRMS (electrospray): m/z [M+H]+ 194.

Provenance & Evidence