Patent ID: 8350092

Claim:
A process for preparing an α-aminoacetal substantially in racemic form of formula (I) wherein: R 1 and R 2 , which may be identical or different, are a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, or R 1 and R 2 are attached so as to form a 1,3-dioxolan-2-yl group which is unsubstituted or substituted on positions 4 and/or 5 with one or more linear or branched C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituents, or a 1,3-dioxan-2-yl group which is unsubstituted or substituted on positions 4 and/or 5 and/or 6 with one or more linear or branched C 1 -C 6 alkyl substituents; R 3 is a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 alkyl group; a C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl group; a cycloalkylalkyl group in which the cycloalkyl and alkyl groups are as defined above; a heterocycloalkyl group containing 3 to 10 atoms; a heterocycloalkylalkyl group in which the heterocycloalkyl and alkyl groups are as defined above; a monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic C 6 -C 14 aryl group; a heteroaryl group containing 5 to 14 atoms; an arylalkyl group or a heteroarylalkyl group, in which the aryl, heteroaryl and alkyl groups are as defined above; a C(═O)R 4 group in which R 4 is an OR 5 group in which R 5 is a H, a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, a C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl group, a heterocycloalkyl group, an aryl group or a heteroaryl group as defined above, or R 4 is a —NHR 6 group in which R 6 is a H, a linear or branched C 1 -C 12 alkyl group, a C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl group, a heterocycloalkyl group, an aryl group or a heteroaryl group as defined above; wherein all the alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, heterocycloalkylalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, arylalkyl and heteroarylalkyl groups above may be unsubstituted or substituted, the asterisk * signifies that the C atom is an asymmetrical carbon, by racemization of an optically enriched α-aminoacetal of formula (R)-(I) or (S)-(I) in which R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and the asterisk * are as defined for formula (I), comprising the steps of: oxidizing an optically enriched compound of formula (R)-(I) or (S)-(I) as defined above, in the presence of a catalyst, so as to obtain an oxime compound of formula (II) in which R 1 , R 2 and R 3 are as defined above, and reducing the compound of Formula (II) to a compound of formula (I) as defined above, using a reducing agent.