Syntex Group Technology Center Department of Clinical Process Research and Development, Boulder, CO 80301 U.S.A.
Abstract:
An asymmetric pinacol-type rearrangement was used in the synthesis of (S)-naproxen. The pinacol-type reaction of a
vicinal diol provided an -aryl ketone which was oxidized with sodium hypochlorite in the presence of methanol to the methyl ester of naproxen.