Rearrangement of β-Amino Alcohols and Application to the Synthesis of Biologically Active Compounds

beta-Amino alcohols derived from natural amino acids have been used extensively as a powerful source of chirality. Transformation of the hydroxy group of these beta-amino alcohols into a good leaving group, by using trifluoroacetic anhydride, led to rearranged beta-amino alcohols in good yields and with high enantiomeric excesses. This rearrangement has allowed the transformation of substituted prolinols to substituted 3-hydroxypiperidines and linear beta-amino alcohols, issued from natural amino acids, to rearranged p-amino alcohols. Chirality 21:850-856, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.