Zinc Salt Catalyzed Rearrangement of Acetals of Optically Active Aryl 1-Chloroethyl Ketones: Synthesis of Optically Active 2-Arylpropionic Acids and Esters

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00377a002

The preparation of (S)-2-(4'-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid ((S)-Ibuprofen) (82percent optical purity) and (S)-2-(6'-methoxy-2'-naphthyl)propionic acid (Naproxen) (96percent optical purity) has been accomplished by starting from optically pure (S)-2-chloropropionyl chloride.The investigation for finding the best experimental conditions and minimizing racemization phenomena is presented.