Patent ID: 7169938

Claim:
Process for preparing enantiomerically enriched compounds of the formula (I) Ar—CH(OH)—CH 2 —CH 2 —NR 1 R 2 (I) where Ar is 2-thiophen-yl and R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen, C 1 –C 20 -alkyl, C 4 –C 14 -aryl or C 5 –C 15 -arylalkyl, or R 1 and R 2 radicals together are C 3 –C 12 -alkylene, comprising a) converting compounds of the formula (II) to enantiomerically enriched compounds of the formula (III) or converting compounds of the formula (IV) to enantiomerically enriched compounds of formula (V), wherein compounds (II), (III), (IV) and (V) are represented as: Ar—CO—CH 2 —COOR 3 (II) Ar—CH(OH)—CH 2 —COOR 3 (III) Ar—CO—CH 2 —CONR 1 R 2 (IV) Ar—CH(OH)—CH 2 —CONR 1 R 2 (V) where, in each case, Ar is as defined under the formula (I) and R 1 and R 2 are each as defined under the formula (I) and R 3 is hydrogen, C 1 –C 20 -alkyl, C 4 –C 14 -aryl or C 5 –C 15 -arylalkyl, and where the conversion is effected in the presence of a transition metal catalyst with hydrogen or a hydrogen-transferring compound or a mixture thereof and b) reacting, in the case that compounds of the formula (II) have been used for step a), the enantiomerically enriched compounds of the formula (III) with amines of the formula (VI) HNR 1 R 2 (VI) where R 1 and R 2 are each as defined under the formula (I) to give enantiomerically enriched compounds of the formula (V) as defined above and c) convening the enantiomerically enriched compounds of the formula (V) by reduction to enantiomerically enriched compounds of the formula (I) as defined above.