Patent ID: 7456320

Claim:
A process for the preparation of an optically active substituted alpha-amino indane compound of formula (I): wherein m is an integer selected from 0, 1, 2 and 3, R 1 is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom; an alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; an aryl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms; an alkylaryl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms; an alkaloyl group; and an aryloyl group, said method comprising: a) an asymmetric hydrogenation reaction of an en-amide compound of formula (III) wherein m and R1 are as defined above, R2 is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom; an alkyl group having from 1 to 20 carbon atoms; an aryl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms; and an alkylaryl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms, in presence of hydrogen and of an optically active catalyst, represented by a chiral phosphine transition metal complex of formula (VIIA) or (VIIB): M(X) j (Z) i (L*)(Y) n (VIIA) [M(X)(L*)] 2 (X) 3 S (VIIB) wherein M is a transition metal selected from the group consisting of ruthenium (Ru), rhodium (Rh) and iridium (Ir) X is a halogen atom selected from the group consisting of chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), fluorine (F) and iodine (I), Z is selected from an aryl group having from 6 to 20 carbon atoms; an unsaturated organic group, and an unsaturated cyclic organic group, said unsaturated organic group being selected from the group consisting of an olefin, a diene and Cyano, Y is an anion selected from the group consisting of ClO 4 − , BF 4 − , PF 6 − , and SbF 6 − , j is an integer selected from 0 and 1, i is an integer selected from the group consisting of 0, 1, 2 and 4, n is an integer selected from 1 and 2, S is a primary amine, L* is a chiral diphosphine ligand selected from the group consisting of BICP, DuPHOS, MiniPHOS, BDPMI, TangPHOS, P-PHOS, Tol-P-PHOS, Xyl-P-PHOS and BPE; a chiral atropoisomeric diphosphine ligand selected from the group consisting of BINAP, TolBINAP, MeOBIPHEP, BINAPO, SYNPHOS and BINAPO optionally ortho-substituted with a substituent selected from an alkyl and an aryl; a chiral monodentate phosphoramidine; a chiral biphospholane; a chiral ferrotane or a chiral ferrocenyl phosphine, to obtain an amide compound of formula (II): b) a hydrolysis reaction of the amide compound of formula (II) obtained in step a), thereby obtaining said optically active substituted alpha-amino indane compound of formula (I).