Reaction of alpha-(N-carbamoyl) alkylcuprates with enantioenriched propargyl electrophiles: Synthesis of enantioenriched 3-pyrrolines

A new and efficient enantioselective synthesis of N-alkyl-3-pyrrolines wherein N-Boc deprotection and [AgNo.sub.3]-promoted cyclization take place between the enantioenriched propargyl mesylates or perfluorobenzoates and the alpha alkylcuprates, is presented. This method is amenable for the synthesis of a wide variety of racemic 3-pyrrolines, which are synthetically and biologically very useful and also serve as inhibitors of a very important compound, namely monoamine oxidase. (MAO).