(R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidinone by lipase-catalyzed resolution of the racemic mixture: New chiral auxiliaries related to pantolactone

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0957-4166(95)00109-3

(R)- and (S)-3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrrolidinone (R)- and (S)-1 have been prepared by lipase-catalyzed enantioselective acetylation of (S)-1 from rac-1 with vinyl acetate. Controlled hydrolysis of the acetate (S)-2 gave (S)-1. The configuration of (R)-1 and its p-bromobenzoate (R)-3 were established by X-ray diffraction analysis.