Triethylamine → Levetiracetam

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A suspension of (s)-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetic acid (45 g, 0.26 mol) in methylene chloride (225 ml) was cooled to 0° C. and triethylamine (53 g, 0.53 mol) and methanesulfonyl chloride (39 g, 0.34 mol) were added dropwise. The mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 30 min., then a stream of ammonia was purged in the solution for 2 hours. The insoluble solids were filtered and the filtrate was concentrated. The product was crystallized from methyl isobutyl ketone to give 36 g (80%) of (S)-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide.

Provenance & Evidence