摘要 |
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of an N-demethyl morphinane or a protected form thereof. In one form the preparation of the N-demethyl morphinane or a protected form thereof involves the N-demethylation of an N-methyl morphinane or protected form thereof. In particular the present process is useful in the preparation N-demethyl morphinane or a protected form thereof by N-demethylation of N-methyl morphinanes or protected forms thereof extracted from plants of the genus Papaver of the family Papaveraceae. An example of a suitable N-methyl morphinane that may be usefully subjected to the process of the present invention is thebaine. |