A concise and efficient route to the Alzheimer's therapeutic agent (R)-arundic acid

A short and efficient procedure for the preparation of (R)-arundic acid, a therapeutic agent for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, has been developed. Based an cheap and commercially available (1R)-(+)-camphor as the source of chiral information, (R)-arundic acid is synthesized in a four-step cyclic sequence with 55% overall yield and high optical purity, >= 98% ee. Alkyl halide and acetylene constitute the only consumable carbon Sources of this method, which allows obtaining of both enantiomers and recycling of chiral auxiliary. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.