(-)-Methyl 2-acetyl-l-pyrrolidineacetate, a degradation product of monocrotaline, was condensed with methylmagnesium iodide to yield (-)-1-(2-hydroxy-2-methylpropy1)-2-(1- hydroxy-1-methylethyl)-pyrrolidine. The same carbinol was prepared from (S)(-)-proline by converting it first to the methyl ester, condensing this ester with methyl bromoacetate, and finally treating the methyl (-)-2-carbomethoxy-1-pyrrolidineacetate with methylmagnesium ...
