3-Chloro-N,N-dimethyl-1-propanamine → Citalopram

Participants

Reaction Steps

According to the present invention, the alkylation of 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran-5-carbonitrile (5-cyanophthalane) with N,N-dimethylaminopropylchloride may be carried out following prior art procedure, and preferably as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,193. However, according to the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,193, after the completion of the alkylating reaction, the reaction mass is diluted with ice cold water and the aqueous layer is extracted into ether. The ether layer is then extracted with 20% aqueous acetic acid. The pH of the aqueous acidic layer is then adjusted to alkaline, e.g. pH 10-11, with sodium hydroxide and the citalopram base extracted into ether. The ether layer is then concentrated under reduced pressure to obtain citalopram base oil.

Provenance & Evidence