Asymmetric synthesis of amino acids by catalytic reduction of azlactones of substituted acylaminoacrylic acids

1.	It has been shown that when 2-methyl- and 2-phenyl-4-benzylideneoxazolin-5-ones react with a-phenylethylamine in dimethoxyethane the rate of opening of the oxazoline ring is dependent on the nature of the substituents at the para-position of the aromatic ring of the benzylidene group. Electron-donating substituents retard the process and electron-withdrawing substituents accelerate it.
2.	It has been shown that replacement of Me by Ph on C2 of the oxazolone ring results in an increase in rate of aminolysis.

Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1115–1118, May, 1989.