Free radical precursors 4a and 4b were synthesized and treated under reductive or oxidative conditions to obtain the corresponding optically pure pyrrolidinones 5-8, which were subsequently transformed into corresponding optically pure GABA derivatives 9-11. When reductive radical conditions (4a-->7 and 8) were used, a Ph1-5 migration product 14 was obtained; presumably depending upon the specific conformation of the rotamer precursor and also 14 was found to be a kinetic product. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mijin; Stojanovic; Petrovic, Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry, 1998, vol. 34, # 12, p. 1802 - 1803