Process for the resolution of homocysteine-thiolactone

摘要

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of enantiomerically pure homocysteine-³-thiolactone comprising optical resolution of racemic homocysteine-³-thiolactone ( I )
with a chiral organic acid wherein one isomer is recovered as diastereomeric salt with the organic acid and the other isomer remaining in the mother liquor is submitted to racemisation with a catalytic amount of an aromatic aldehyde and submitted again to optical resolution with the same chiral organic acid.