An improved process for chiron synthesis of the atorvastatin side chain

An improved and practical synthesis of tert-butyl ((4R,6R)-6-aminoethyl-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-4-yl)acetate 3 has been developed for supplying this key chiral side-chain of atorvastatin by using a Blaise reaction of (S)-4-chloro-3-((trimethylsilyl)oxy)butanenitrile 7 and the Raney Ni catalyzed hydrogenation of tert-butyl 2-((4R,6R)-6-(-2-oximeethyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxan-4-yl)acetate 12 as the key steps. This nine-step route from (R)-epichlorohydrin afforded the target compound in 55% overall yield of high chemical and enantiomeric purity.