3-Acyl-4-ethyl-2-oxazolones and oxazolidinones

摘要

This invention relates to the preparation of optically active d-2-aminobutanol by catalytic asymmetric reduction of appropriate dehydro precursors to produce selectively the desired isomer. The same substrates can also be used to prepare the dl-mixture using optically inactive catalysts. The novel substituted-4-ethyl-4-oxazolin-2-one and substituted-4-ethyl-2-oxazolidinone compounds of this invention are useful as intermediates in the production of the antituberculosis drug ethambutol (Myambutol TM ).