Processes for producing levosandal and levosandol

摘要

The present invention relates to processes for producing 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-butenal and 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-buten-1-ol using heterogeneous bifunctional catalysts with a good yield. There is provided a process for producing 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-butenal by the cross-aldol condensation between campholenic aldehyde and butanal using bifunctional heterogeneous catalysts in the presence of controlled amounts of an aliphatic alcohol; and a process for producing 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-buten-1-ol useful as perfume, starting from 2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-butenal through a MPV reduction using an acid-base bifunctional heterogeneous catalyst. Both process can be coupled in a cascade process which involves the cross-aldol condensation between campholenic aldehyde and butanal followed by the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) reduction in the presence of a secondary alcohol using the same heterogeneous bifunctional catalyst for obtaining (2-ethyl-4-(2,2,3-trimethyl-3-cyclopenten-1-yl)-2-buten-1-ol).