Method for production of pyrrolidinone derivatives

A process for producing a pyrrolidinone compound represented by the formula (1):

• wherein R1 is an alkyl group of 1 to 12 carbon atoms or a substituent represented by the formula (2):
• (wherein R2 is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, an amino group, a nitro group, a carbamoyl group, a thiol group, an thioalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a carboxyl group;
• p is an integer of 1 to 5;
• when p is 2 or more, each R2 independently has the same definition as given above;
• and j is an integer of 0 to 2), and Q is a substituent represented by the formula (3a), (3b), (3c) or (3d):
• (in the formula (3a), R3 and R4 are each independently a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and R3 and R4 may bond to each other to form a morpholine ring;
• in the formula (3b), m and n are each independently an integer of 1 to 4, X is a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a cyano group, a carbamoyl group, a halogen atom or an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and Y is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or a phenyl group which is substituted with one or more groups or atoms selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms;
• in the formula (3c), W is an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or a phenyl group which is substituted with one or more groups or atoms selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or an alkyl group of 1 to 2 carbon atoms substituted with a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group;
• and in the formula (3d), m and n are each independently an integer of 1 to 4, Z is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 18 carbon atoms, a phenyl group or a phenyl group which is substituted with one or more groups or atoms selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkoxy group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a perfluoroalkyl group of 1 to 4 carbon atoms, an alkyl group of 1 to 2 carbon atoms substituted with a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group, or a substituent represented by the formula (4):
• —(CH2)k—OR5 (4)
• (wherein k is an integer of 2 to 3;
• and R5 is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 3 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group of 2 to 3 carbon atoms or an alkynyl group of 2 to 3 carbon atoms which process includes a step of reacting a compound represented by the formula (5):
• (wherein R1 has the same definition as given above) with an amine derivative represented by the formula (6a), (6b), (6c) or (6d):
• {in the formula (6a), R3 and R4 have the same definitions as given above;
• in the formula (6b), X, Y, m and n have the same definitions as given above;
• in the formula (6c), W has the same definition as given above;
• and in the formula (6d), Z, m and n have the same definitions as given above} in the presence of formaldehyde to produce a pyrrolidinone compound of the formula (1).