Process for the production of 4-aminobutyric acid or its derivatives

Abstract

4-Amino-2-hydroxybutyric acid or 2,4-diaminobutyric acid may be readily produced by a new process comprising reacting a propionic acid compound containing a .beta.-carboxamido substituent (-CONH.sub.2) on the carbon atom at the 3-position and optionally containing hydroxyl substituent and protected or unprotected amino substituent on the .alpha.-carbon atom thereof, with an alkanoic acid anhydride in liquid pyridine to convert the carboxamido group into a nitrile group, with occasional acylation of a .alpha.-hydroxyl group, occasionally removing the alkanoyl group from the .alpha.-acyloxyl group of the resulting nitrile intermediate, and then reducing the resultant nitrile compound with hydrogen to convert the nitrile group into an aminomethyl group, and further optionally removing the residual amino-protecting group from the resultant 4-aminobutyric acid compound.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.