Patent ID: 6894170

Claim:
A process for the preparation of substituted thiazolines of the formula (I) in which Ar is a phenyl, naphthyl, thienyl, pyridyl or quinolinyl radical which can optionally be substituted by one or more substituents from the group consisting of halogen, OH, benzyloxy, C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, C 1 -C 4 -alkoxy, COOR 1 where R 1 is H or C 1 -C 4 -alkyl, by coupling of (S)-α-methylcysteine hydrochloride of the formula (II) with an aromatic or heteroaromatic nitrile of the formula (III) Ar—CN in which Ar is as defined above, or a corresponding C 1 -C 4 -alkyl imidate, which comprises reacting (S)-α-methylcysteine hydrochloride of the formula (II) in ethanol and/or butanol as solvent, containing 0.5 to 2 mol of a nitrile of the formula (III) or a corresponding C 1 -C 4 -alkyl imidate per mole of (S)-α-methylcysteine hydrochloride in the presence of 1.5 to 3 mol of a tertiary base per mole of (S)-α-methylcysteine hydrochloride at a pH of 6.5 to 10 at 50° C. up to the reflux temperature to give the corresponding thiazoline of the formula (I), which is isolated from the reaction mixture by removal of the solvent, extraction of the impurities and precipitation of the thiazoline by acidification.