Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd.

Ichirou Takase

Noritsugu Yamasaki

Kazuo Sato

Yukihisa Goto

A process for preparing N-substituted amino acid esters having the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.4, the same or different, are an alkyl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl or aryl group; and R.sub.2 and R.sub.3, the same or different,are an alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, heterocycle-alkyl, aminoalkyl or guanidylalkyl, by the reaction of .alpha.-amino acid esters with .alpha.-substituted carboxylic acid esters, under the condition of substantially free from solvent, which can afford their optical isomers in a good yield.

Process for preparing N-substituted amino acid esters

A process for the preparation of .alpha.-hydroxyketones ##STR1## having a high purity in a good yield from a compound ##STR2## by rearrangement reaction in aqueous alkaline solution, where R.sub.1 and R.sub.3 each represent an alkyl, alkenyl or aryl group, R.sub.2 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl, alkenyl or aryl group, and X represents hydroxyl group or a halogen atom.

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Himeji, Japan

Ichirou Takase