Organic Process Research & Development

Serendipitous Discovery of a Zidovudine Guanidine Complex: A Superior Process for the Production of Zidovudine

BK Radatus

Index: Radatus, Bruno K. Organic Process Research and Development, 2011 , vol. 15, # 6 p. 1281 - 1286

Full Text: HTML

Citation Number: 0

Abstract

A superior process for the commercial production of zidovudine (AZT) has been developed. It was discovered that an AZT–guanidine complex formed when a crude zidovudine solution was treated with guanidine. This readily precipitated from protic solvents resulting in the exclusion of impurities and permitted the development of a superior isolation and purification of AZT.