New kilogram-synthesis of the anti-Alzheimer drug (-)-galanthamine

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4039(98)00294-9

A concise, scalable synthesis of (-)-galanthamine, a drug being used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, is described. The yield of the critical phenolic coupling step was optimized to 45-50%. For the reduction of the aryl bromide, air-activated LiAlH₄ was used and racemic narwedine was converted to (-)-narwedine by a second order asymmetric transformation.