Ethanol → (+/-)-1-Benzyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid

Participants

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 5.13 g of ethyl 1-benzyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylate (42, cf. JP-A-62-4284), 40 ml of 50% ethanol, and 2 g of sodium hydroxide was stirred at room temperature for 42 hours. To the reaction mixture was added 100 ml of water, and the mixture was washed with chloroform. The aqueous layer was neutralized with hydrochloric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate. The extract was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The solvent was evaporated to obtain 3.40 g of (±)-1-benzyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-3-pyrrolidinecarboxylic acid (43) as a colorless crystal.

Provenance & Evidence