Formic Acid → (1S,2R)-2-amino-1-phenylpropan-1-ol

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Reaction Steps

To remove the benzyl group, 3.9 mmol of (1R,2S)-1-phenyl-2-(N,N-dibenzylamino)-1-propanol are dissolved in 5 ml of methanol. This solution is added to a mixture of 40 ml of methanol, 10.6 g of formic acid and 50 mg of palladium black. The air is displaced from the reaction vessel using hydrogen. After hydrogenation for 1 hour, the palladium catalyst is filtered off, and the solution is concentrated in vacuo. The residue is taken up in 10 ml of methanol and stirred with 1 g of silica gel and 5 drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid at room temperature for 1 hour. The residue obtained after removal of the silica gel by filtration and concentration of the filtrate is purified by chromatography. 243 mg (=60% of theory) of analytically pure norephedrine are obtained.

Provenance & Evidence