A New Synthesis of (2S,3R,4R)-2-(Hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidine-3,4-diol

The title compound 6 was synthesized from 2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl-D -arabinofuranose ( 7 ) in three steps and 48% overall yield. Moreover, it was shown, in the case of γ-hydroxy amide 9 , that the Mitsunobu reaction is not suitable for the preparation of γ-lactams, because O-alkylation is predominant.