Abstract:
The present invention relates to an improved process for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure 3-phenyl-3-hydroxypropylamine of formula I; more particularly the present invention relates to the said process using styrene; the synthetic strategy features a Sharpless asymmetric dihydroxylation (SAD) route to the target compound, using styrene, a readily accessible starting material gives the optically pure dihydroxy compound (ee >97%; the selective monotosylation of primary alcohol, nucleophilic displacement by cyano and subsequent reduction to amino group furnishes the desired 3-phenyl-3-hydroxypropylamine in enatiomerically pure form, a key intermediate in the synthesis of variety of oxetine related anti-depressant drugs.