Methanol-isopropyl-acetate-water mixture

To a 5 L 3-neck round bottom flask was added the crude carbonylbenzyloxy-3-aminopropanal (115 g, 0.555 mol) followed by addition of water (400 mL) and methanol (1600 mL). The reaction mixture was maintained at 25°C throughout the course of the reaction. After the solution became homogeneous. (S)-Valine methyl ester hydrochloride (90.2 g, 0.538 mol) was added in one portion followed by rapid addition of sodium acetate trihydrate (151 g, 1.11 mol) and sodium cycanoborohydride (73.2 g, 1.17 mol). The reaction mixture was allowed to stir at room temperature for 0.5 hour and was concentrated in vacuo. To this solution, saturated aq sodium bicarbonate (400 mL) was added and the mixture was extracted with isopropyl acetate (1 L). The organic layer was washed with water, dried over sodium sulfate, and concentrated to yield 150 g of crude product, which was dissolved in isopropyl acetate (300 mL) and heptane (2400 mL). Dry HCI was bubbled in and an oily solid precipitated out of solution. The liquid was decanted away from and the solid was dissolved in dichloromethane (3 L). The solution was washed with water (600 mL) and saturated aq sodium bicarbonate (600 mL) and dried over sodium sulfate. It was concentrated in vacuo to yield 105 g (59%) of N-(N-(benzyloxycarbonyl-3-amino)-propyl)valine methyl ester as a light yellow oil. 

This reaction mixture is kept between 0°C and -i-5°C for six hours, with agitation and under an inert atmosphere, then 5 cc of a 0.2N solution of acetic acid in toluene are added. The mixture is extracted with toluene, and the extracts are washed with water and evaporated to dryness. The residue is taken up in ethyl acetate, and then the solution Is evaporated to dryness in vacuo, yielding a resin which is dissolved in methylene chloride, and the solution passed through a column of 40 g of magnesium silicate. Elution is carried out first with methylene chloride, then with methylene chloride containing 0.5% of acetone, and 0.361 g Is thus recovered of a crude product, which is dissolved in 1.5 cc of isopropyl ether then hot methanol Is added and the mixture left at 0°C for one night. 

A solution of 1 equivalent of isopropyl 5-p-methoxybenzoyl-l,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[l,2-a]pyrrole-l-carboxylate in 10 ml of methanol is treated with a solution of 1 equivalent of potassium carbonate in 5 ml of water. The reaction mixture is refluxed under nitrogen atmosphere for 30 minutes, cooled, and evaporated to dryness. The residue is taken up in 10 ml of 10% aqueous hydrochloric acid and 50 ml of water and the resultant mixture extracted with ethyl acetate (2x50 ml). The combined extracts are dried over magnesium sulfate and evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure. Crystallization of the residue from ethyl acetate-hexane affords 5-p-methoxybenzoyl-l,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[l, 2-a]pyrrole-l-carboxylic acid (anirolac) MP 187°-187.5°C. 

The photolysis was carried out in acetic acid/water, in methanol and in isopropyl alcohol. In the first solvent was formed exclusively, but in the alcohols, mixtures of A, B, and were obtained. While some of the details of this reaction are not clear, the evidence for the intramolecular addition of the neutral amino radical seems to be strong. 

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