A chemoenzymatic strategy for the synthesis of enantiomerically pure novel alkaloids (1S, 3R)-1-benzyl-2, 3-dimethyl-1, 2, 3, 4-tetrahydroisoquinolines is presented. The key steps are the biocatalytic stereoselective reductive amination of substituted 1-phenylpropan-2-one derivatives to yield chiral amines employing microbial ω-transaminases, and the diastereoselective reduction of a Bischler–Napieralski imine intermediate by catalytic ...
[Bloom, Jonathan D.; Dutia, Minu D.; Johnson, Bernard D.; Wissner, Allan; Burns, Michael G.; et al. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 1992 , vol. 35, # 16 p. 3081 - 3084]
