Patent ID: 6852892

Claim:
A method for the production of a sphingoid base according to formula in which R is a hydrocarbon chain having 5-50 carbon atoms, which may be a straight chain or branched, saturated or contain one or more double bonds, and which may contain one or more functional groups, and R 1 and R 2 may be the same or different and may be H or a hydrocarbon chain having 1-10 carbon atoms, which may be a straight chain or branched, saturated or contain one or more double bonds, and which may contain one or more functional groups, the method comprising the steps of dissolving a starting compound according to formula III or a salt thereof in a substantially inert solvent, in which R 1 , R 2 , are as defined above R 3′ and R 4 may be the same or different and may be H, OH, or a hydrocarbon chain having 1-10 carbon atoms, which may be a straight chain or branched, saturated or contain one or more double bonds, and which may contain one or more functional groups, and R′ is a hydrocarbon chain having 3-48 carbon atoms, which may be a straight chain or branched, saturated or contain one or more double bonds, and which may contain one or more functional groups, the functional groups being selected from a hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group, a primary, secondary or tertiary amine, a thiol group, a thioether or a phosphorous containing functional group, protecting the NH 2 group of the starting compound of formula (III) with a NH 2 protecting group, performing an elimination reaction to form a double bond between the C-4 and C-5 carbon atoms of the starting compound of the formula (III), and removing the NH 2 protecting group.