Acetic Acid → HCID 57299430, compound

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a suspension of methyl (+/-)-phenylglycinate hydrochloride (4.00 g, 19.8 mmol) in MeOH (50 mL), and HOAc (4 mL) was added 1-phenylmethyl-indole-3-carboxaldehyde (2.85 g, 12.1 mmol). The resulting mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature for 20 minutes; then NaBH3CN (1.98 g, 31.5 mmol) was added in one portion. The suspension was allowed to stir at room temperature for 18 hours, then was concentrated in vacuo to furnish a sticky white semi-solid. The crude reaction mixture was partitioned between 20% aqueous NaOH (0.25 L) and EtOAc (0.25 L); the organic phase was separated, washed with brine (0.25 L), and dried (Na2SO4). Concentration in vacuo afforded the crude product as a pale green oil which was purified by chromatography on a column of silica gel (230-400 mesh, 500 g, 70 mm o.d., EtOAc-hexanes 25:75, 400 mL fractions) using the flash technique. Fractions 8-13 were combined to provide 2.0 g (43%) of the title compound as a white solid. Recrystallization from EtOAc-hexanes provided white needles, m.p. 109°-110° C.

Provenance & Evidence