Synthesis and application of Schiff base in resolution-racemization of primary amines

P. Venkateswara Rao¹, A.V.G.S. Prasad^*1,P.S.S. Prasad^*2
1Department of Chemistry, Nizam College (Autonomous), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.
²Drug Control Administration, Hyderabad, India.

A B S T R A C T
In the past decade there has been a significant growth in the sales of pharmaceutical drugs worldwide, but more importantly there has been a dramatic growth in the sales of single enantiomer drugs. The pharmaceutical industry has a rising demand for chiral intermediates and research reagents because of the continuing imperative to improve drug efficacy. This in turn impacts on researchers involved in preclinical discovery work. An economical, one-pot process for resolution-racemization of primary amines with α-hydrogens via selective crystallization of diastereomeric chiral amine salts and the subsequent in situ racemization of the other enantiomer by the catalytic addition of aromatic aldehydes which permits the stereo-specific synthesis of the desired isomer.
Keywords: Chiral Drugs, Chiral Building Blocks, Schiff Base and Racemization