Removal of Alkyl Sulfonates Using DABCO

During the route development of a midstage clinical candidate, we were challenged with a presence of alkyl sulfonates, which were identified as potential genotoxic impurities in our active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). As a result, we initiated a development effort to identify a method to remove the alkyl sulfonates that would be amenable for scale-up. Herein, we report our effort toward the development of a general approach using DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]­octane) to remove alkyl sulfonates that is both efficient and convenient from the bench to scale-up.