Work on the chemistry of vasicine (Ia) by several groups of workersa culminated in the synthesis of the alkaloid by Spath, Kuffner and Platzer4 in 1935. The first synthesis depended on the preparation of methyl a-hydroxy-y-aminobutyrate, which was treated with o- nitrobenzyl chloride to produce a low yield (ca. 7%) of l-(o-nitrobenzyl)-3-hydroxy-2- oxopyrrolidine (IIa). Compound IIa, when treated with stannous chloride in hydrochloric ...
