Process for manufacturing 1-(3-trifluoromethyl)-phenyl-propan-2- one intermediate in the synthesis of the fenfluramine

摘要

A process for manufacturing 1-(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl-propan- 2- one intermediate in the synthesis of the anorexic drug fenfluramine consists of reacting the diazonium salt of 3-trifluoromethylaniline with isopropenyl acetate in a polar solvent in the presence of a catalytic amount of a cuprous salt and, optionally, of a base and purifying the crude product through the bisulfite complex or distillation under vacuum.