Ethyl 2,4-dioxo-4-phenylbutyrate: A versatile intermediate for the large-scale preparation of enantiomerically pure alpha-hydroxy and alpha-amino acid esters

摘要

Starting from ethyl 2,4-dioxo-4-phenylbutyrate, both enamtiomers of six enantiomerically pure alpha-hydroxy and alpha-amino acid esters (homophenylalanine derivatives) were prepared on >100 g scale. The key step involves a Pt-cinchona. catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation followed by enrichment via crystallization. All derivatives are commercially available. [References: 6]