PROCESS AND INTERMEDIATE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A TERTIARY ALCOHOL AS AN INTERMEDIATE IN THE SYNTHESIS OF MONTELUKAST

摘要

The tertiary alcohol a-[3-[(1E)-2-(7-chloro-2-quinolinyl)ethenyl]phenyl]-2-(1-hydroxy- 1-methylethyl)benzenepropanol, the (aS)-enantioner of which is an intermediate in the production of montelukast, is produced by reacting the novel lactone of formula (II) with a methylmagnesium halide in an ethereal solvent in the presence of lanthanum trichloride and lithium chloride. The lactone II can be prepared by reacting a corresponding hydroxyester with a Grignard reagent in the absence of a lanthanoid compound or with a strong base.