Diazomethane → 4-benzyl-L-proline methyl ester

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Reaction Steps

Benzyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide (0.15 moles, 66.07 g) was added portionwise to a suspension of sodium (0.15 moles, 6.0 g of 60% in mineral oil) in 350 ml DMSO and heated at 70°-80.COPYRGT.C until dissolved. The solution was cooled. N-Carbobenzyloxy-4-keto-L-proline (0.025 moles, 13.2 g) in 50 ml DMSO was added dropwise. The solution was heated at 70° for 4 hours and stirred at room temperature overnight. A solution of 15 g potassium bicarbonate in 11 of water was added. The solution was washed with ether and acidified to pH 4.0 using 2 N HCl. The product was extracted with chloroform. The chloroform solution was dried and concentrated. The resulting oil was triturated with ether. The ether solution was extracted with 10% sodium bicarbonate. The aqueous layer was acidified with 2 N HCl. The acid was extracted with ether. The organic solution was dried and concentrated. (MS) The acid (5.9 mmoles, 2.0 g) in ether was esterified at 0° C. with an excess of diazomethane and chromatographed over silica gel eluted with ethyl acetate in hexane. The protecting group was removed by dissolving the ester (2.7 mmoles, 0.9 g) in 20 ml methanol and hydrogenating over Pd/C (200 mg) for 4 hours at 30 psi. The solution was filtered through celite and concentrated to yield 400 mg of 4-benzyl-L-proline methyl ester. (MS)

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