PROCESS FOR REDUCING CARBOXYLIC ACIDS OR CARBOXYLIC ACID DERIVATIVES, AND NOVEL COMPOUNDS

摘要

Carboxylic acids and their derivatives, especially amino acids and their derivatives, are reduced to the corresponding amines or amino alcohols or diamines by expensive and complicated reducing agents and processes. The novel process is designed to facilitate economical reduction in gentle conditions while retaining any chirality centres and permit implementation on a technical scale. In addition, carboxylic acid derivatives like amides are to be reduced. Carboxylic acids or their derivatives of formula (I) are reduced to a compound of general formula (II) or (III), in the presence of an alkaline boron hydride and a halogen. Suitable halogens are in particular chlorine and iodine. The amines, (beta)-amino alcohols and diamines are versatile synthesis structural units and may be used as racemate splitting reagents, structural units for peptide analogues and also as pharmaceutical raw materials.