Process for the preparation of esters of 4-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)phenylacetic acid and 4-(2-hydroxy-3-isopropylamino-propoxy)phenylacetic acid and/or atenolol in stereospecific form.

摘要

S-(-)-atenolol (4-(2-hydroxy-3-isopropylaminopropoxy)phenyl acetamide) is obtained by a process including the step of stereo-specific epoxidation by an ester of 4-allyloxyphenylacetic acid using a micro-organism capable of stereo-selective epoxidation, e.g. Pseudomonas oleovorans, to produce the corresponding ester of 4-(2,3-epoxypropoxy)phenylacetic acid which is predominantly in S configuration. Pseudomonas oleovorans ATCC 29347 produces at least about 90% of the epoxypropoxy compound in S configuration. The resulting epoxypropoxy compound can be converted into atenolol, maintaining the high proportion of S configuration, by reacting the epoxypropoxy compound with isopropylamine and converting the ester group to an amide group by reaction with ammonia.