Trimethylamine N-oxide: A novel reagent for the promotion of the retro- aldol reaction of R106-1 (LY295337)

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(96)00830-1

The retro-aldol reaction of R106-1 (LY295337), 1 using trimethylamine N- oxide (TNO) facilitates the removal of the tertiary hydroxy group generating R106-sarcosine, 2 a key synthetic intermediate. The reagent is highly reproducible and provides high yields with no major side products. A side by side comparison of TNO vs. traditional bases is described.