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Updated: May 12, 2026

Preparation of Enantiopure Non-Activated Aziridines and Synthesis of Biemamide B, D, and epiallo-Isomuscarine
Published on: June 13, 2022
A practical preparation of the key intermediate for penems and carbapenems synthesis
Barbara Grzeszczyk1, Sebastian Stecko, Łukasz Mucha
1Institute of Organic Chemistry of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
A novel, practical and stereoselective synthesis of (3R,4R)-4-acetoxy-3-[(R)-1-(t-butyldimethylsilyloxy)ethyl]-2-azetidinone, a key intermediate in the preparation of β-lactam antibiotics is reported. The crucial step of the synthesis is based on the Cu(I)-mediated Kinugasa cycloaddition/rearrangement cascade between silyl protected (R)-3-butyn-2-ol and the nitrone derived from benzyl hydroxylamine and benzyl glyoxylate. The obtained adduct is subjected to debenzylation with sodium, or lithium in liquid ammonia followed by oxidation with lead tetraacetate to afford the final product.
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