Patent ID: 7229803

Claim:
A method for reacting amines of the general formula (I) with A- meaning to give compounds of the general formula (II) or (III) with B- meaning HO—CH 2 —R 3 — or R 4 — comprising the following steps: a) oxidation of at least one group of an amine of the general formula (I) to a carbonyl group in the presence of a lysine oxidase as catalyst; b) where appropriate reaction of the second NH 2 group of an amine of the general formula (I) with with the carbonyl group resulting from a) to give an enamine or imine by cyclization; c) reduction of the carbonyl group(s) resulting from a), or of the anamine or imine resulting where appropriate from b), with a reducing agent respectively to hydroxymethyl groups or to a cyclic secondary amine of the general formula (II), where R 1 is NR 5 or a linear bivalent C 2 –C 6 hydrocarbon radical which is optionally substituted by CO 2 H, C 2 R 6 , OH, SH and/or N(R 5 ) 2 and/or contains nonadjacent O, S and/or N atoms, where R 5 is H or linear C 1 –C 6 -alkyl and R 6 is linear C 1 –C 6 -alkyl or branched C 3 –C 6 -alkyl or C 6 –C 10 -aryl, and R 2 is H, CO 2 H, C 2 R 6 or CN, where the method is carried out as a one-pot method, lysine oxidise and reducing agent are present together, and in the definition of A in the general formula (I) R 3 is a bivalent C 0 –C 1 or C 5 –C 18 hydrocarbon radical which is optionally substituted by linear C 1 –C 6 -alkyl or branched C 3 –C 6 -alkyl, C 6 –C 10 -aryl, C 4 –C 10 -heteroaryl and/or CO 2 R 6 and/or contains nonadjacent O, S and/or N atoms, and R 4 is a linear C 1 –C 20 hydrocarbon radical which is optionally substituted by functional groups CO 2 H and/or CO 2 R 6 and/or contains nonadjacent O, S and/or N atoms.