Patent ID: 7521579

Claim:
A process for the preparation of 2-phenyl-2-hydroxy-N-[2-(3-alkoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethyl]-acetamides of the formula I wherein R 1 is alkyl, R 2 , and R 3 are each independently hydrogen or alkyl, and R 4 , is optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl, which process comprises reacting a nitrostyrene of the formula IV wherein R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above, with reducing agent to form a 2-phenyl-nitroethane derivative of the formula V, wherein R 1 R 2 and R 3 are as defined above; and further reacting this intermediate 2-phenyl-nitroethane derivative of the formula V with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst to obtain a 2-(3-alkoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethylamine of the formula II wherein R 1 R 2 and R 3 are as defined above, and reacting it with a α-hydoxycarboxylic acid ester of the formula III or a dioxolanone of the formula IIIa wherein R 4 is as defined above, and R 5 , R 6 and R 7 independently of each other are lower alkyl.