PROCESS FOR PRODUCING RACEM AND OPTICALLY ACTIVE 1,2,3,4-TETRAHYDRO-ISOQUINOLINE-3-CARBOXYLIC ACID

A process for the preparation of racemic and optically active 1,2.3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid is described, in which dihalo-o-xylylenes are cyclized to dicarboxylic acid esters in basic medium using dialkyl N-acylamidomalonates of the formula (CO2R1)2CHNHCOR2, in which R1 is (C1-C4)-alkyl and R2 is H, (C1-C4)-alkyl or (C6-C12)-aryl, decarboxylated by basic hydrolysis and subsequent acid work-up and then reacted in acid medium to give (D,L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, or dihalo-o-xylylenes are cyclized in basic medium to give the dicarboxylic acid esters and these are reacted directly without isolation in a one-pot process to give (D,L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, if desired the racemic 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid is reacted with (-)menthol and p-toluenesulfonic acid to give (-)menthyl (D)- or (L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylate, then the diastereomers are separated by column chromatography and subjected to basic hydrolysis to give (D)-or (L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, or (D,L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid is esterified by means of benzyl alcohol and p-toluenesulfonic acid, reacted with D(-)mandelic acid to give benzyl (D)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylate (D)-mandelate and benzyl (L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylate (D)-mandelate or with L(+)mandelic acid to give benzyl (D)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylate (L)-mandelate and benzyl (L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylate (L)-mandelate and then the compounds obtained are separated into the optical antipodes by fractional crystallization in an inert solvent and the enantiomers (D)- or (L)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid are liberated by basic hydrolysis, the chiral auxiliary reagent being recovered.