Ammonium Chloride → methyl (3aRS,4SR,7RS,7aRS)-2-benzyl-7-hydroxy-7-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-4-phenyl-octahydroisoindole-3a-carboxylate

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

2.3 cm3 of 4-bromo-ortho-xylene and 0.42 g of magnesium turnings in a mixture of 20 cm3 of diethyl ether and 20 cm3 of tetrahydrofuran were heated at reflux for one hour. After cooling to a temperature in the region of -7° C., a solution of 3.11 g of methyl (3aRS,4SR,7aRS)-2-benzyl-7-oxo-4-phenyloctahydroisoindole-3a-carboxylate in 20 cm3 of diethyl ether was added over 25 minutes. The reaction mixture was stirred for four hours at a temperature in the region of 25° C. and then hydrolysed by 50 cm3 of a saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution. The aqueous phase was separated by settling and extracted with 25 cm3 of ethyl acetate. The organic phases were combined, dried over magnesium sulphate and concentrated under reduced pressure. After purification by flash chromatography on silica gel (230-400 mesh), elution being carried out with a cyclohexane/ethyl acetate (80/20 by volume) mixture, 1.995 g of methyl (3aRS,4SR,7RS,7aRS)-2-benzyl-7-hydroxy-7-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-4-phenyl-octahydroisoindole-3a-carboxylate were obtained, the characteristic of which compound, used as it was in the following stage, was as follows:

Provenance & Evidence