Hydrogenolysis of N- and O-protected hydroxyazetidines over palladium: Efficient and selective methods for ring opening and deprotecting reactions

Abstract

Some N- and O-protected hydroxyazetidine derivatives were hydrogenated to the corresponding amines or aminoalcohols over a Pd/C catalyst, in different solvents (methanol, dichloromethane, tetrahydrofuran), at 30–60°C and 1–10bar. These amino compounds, formed during hydrogenolytic ring opening and/or deprotecting reactions, are potential starting materials for preparing optically active, practically important pyrrolidine derivatives.