Patent ID: 7002025

Claim:
A process for the synthesis of citalopram comprising: (a) converting a compound of Formula (I): wherein R represents a C 2 to C 5 alkylene group which may be unsubstituted or substituted by one or more of the groups selected from: C 1 to C 6 alkyl, which may be unsubstituted or substituted by halo, C 1 to C 6 alkoxy, or C 6 to C 15 aryl; C 3 to C 10 cycloalkyl, which may be unsubstituted or substituted by halo, C 1 to C 6 alkyl, C 1 to C 6 alkoxy, or C 6 to C 15 aryl; C 5 to C 10 heterocycloalkyl; C 6 -C 15 aryl, which may be unsubstituted or substituted by halo, C 1 to C 6 alkoxy, or C 1 to C 6 alkyl; C 7 to C 10 aralkyl; C 1 to C 6 alkoxy and heteroaryl; or the alkylene group can be substituted by one or more C 3 to C 7 cycloalkyl groups attached to the alkylene group via a spiro-carbon atom; or the alkylene group may contain a C 6 -C 15 aryl group fused to two alkylene carbon atoms; to a compound of Formula (II): wherein R 1 represents a carboxylic acid group or a salt or an ester thereof, and (b) converting the compound of Formula (II) to form citalopram or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.