Process useful for preparing 7,8-acetamido, hydroxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepines

The method of preparing a 7-hydroxy-8-acetamido or a 7-acetamido-8-hydroxy compound of the formula:

• ##STR7## in which:
• R is hydrogen, halo or lower alkyl of 1-3 carbons;
• R.sub.3 is hydrogen, halo, methyl, methoxy, methylthio or hydroxy;
• and
• R.sub.4 is methyl, allyl or benzyl, comprising the steps of:
• A. reacting a compound of the structure:
• ##STR8## in which R, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are as defined above, with benzylamine or benzhydrylamine to form a mixture of 7- or 8-hydroxy, benzylimines or of 7- or 8-hydroxy, benzhydrylimines, respectively;
• B. reacting either said imine mixture with alcoholic hydrogen chloride to form the 7- or 8-hydroxy, amino compounds;
• C. reacting said 7- or 8-hydroxy, amino compounds with acetic anhydride or acetyl chloride to form the 7- or 8-O-acetyl, acetamido compounds;
• D. reacting said 7- or 8-O-acetyl, acetamido compounds with sodium hydroxide solution to form the desired 7- or 8-hydroxy, acetamido compounds;
• and
• E. separating by fractional crystallization or chromatography and isolating said 7-hydroxy-8-acetamido or 7-acetamido-8-hydroxy compounds as defined above by known chemical methods.