An easy and efficient route for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure beta-aminoketones 5a, 6 and gamma-aminoalcohols 1a, 2a, 3, 4 from L-prolinol 7 and L-proline 15 is described. One of the key steps is the use of Tebbe's reagent allowing the transformation of the ester function to an enol ether without any racemization.
beta-aminoketones; gamma-aminoalcohols; racemization; Tebbe's reagent