as used herein , aminoalcohol refers to a compound having both amino and alcohol groups . the term lower - alkyl alone or in combination , e . g ., lower - alkanol , denotes straight chain or branched hydrocarbons with 1 to 6 carbon atoms , preferably with 1 to 4 carbon atoms . the compounds 8 and 10 above correspond to those of formulae &# 34 ; vii &# 34 ; and , &# 34 ; ii &# 34 ;, respectively , in epa - 0432695 where they are described as intermediates in the production of therapeutically active products . as used in formula vii , r 1 may be lower alkyl or phenyl . when r 1 is phenyl , the phenyl may be unsubstituted or substituted . when substituted , the phenyl may be substituted in one or more sites , preferably one or two sites . any conventional substitution group may be used , such as halogens , lower - alkyls , or nitro groups . when the substitution group is halogen , any halogen may be used , such as chlorine , bromine or fluorine . the reaction of a sulphonic acid ester of formula vii with the amide of formula 8 is conveniently carried out in a solvent in the presence of a base to produce the oxazolidone of formula 9 . any inert organic solvent may be used , such as dimethylsulfoxide ( dmso ) or a hydrocarbon , such as toluene , or triethylamine , a lower - alkanol , or a ketone , where the preferred lower - alkanol is ethanol , and the preferred ketone is 4 - methyl - 2 - pentanone . any base may be used to react a sulfonic acid ester of formula vii with the amide of formula 8 , such as a lower - alkylamine , e . g ., triethylamine , or an alkali metal carbonate , e . g ., sodium carbonate . the reaction of a sulphonic acid ester of formula vii with the amide of formula 8 is carried out while heating said ester and amide to the reflux temperature , which temperature is preferably from about 50 ° c . to about 150 ° c . best results are achieved when said ester and amide is heated to a temperature of 80 °- 110 ° c . in order to purify the oxazolidinone of formula 9 , the oxazolidininone is converted into a readily crystallizing acid - addition salt such as a sulphonate . the preferred sulphonates are p - tolyl -, p - bromphenyl - or p - nitrophenyl - sulphonate . these sulphonates are prepared by the addition of a strong acid such as sulphuric acid or preferably hydrochloric acid to the oxazolidinone 9 . the sulphonic acid is removed from the reaction mixture by treating the reaction mixture with a base in the presence of a solvent . any base and any solvent may be used to remove the sulphonic acid . the preferable base is sodium bicarbonate . the preferred solvent is ethyl acetate . after the sulphonic acid is removed , the oxazolidinone 9 in the reaction mixture is conveniently cleaved by refluxing it in the presence of a base , such as naoh or koh . the reflux temperature is preferably in the range of from about 20 ° c . to about 100 ° c . best results are obtained when the reaction mixture is heated to 80 ° c . cleaving the oxalidinone 9 with a base is carded out in the presence of a solvent . any inert solvent may be used as the reaction medium , such as water , ethanol , or a mixture thereof . in this manner , the aminoalcohol of formula 10 is produced . the above sulphonic acid esters of formula vii are prepared in accordance with this invention by treating an α - hydroxy - β - amino acid ester of formula , ## str6 ## wherein r 2 is lower - alkyl , or an acid - addition salt thereof , in the presence of a solvent with a carbonylating agent to cyclize said ester or salt thereof to produce 2 - oxo - oxazolidine - 5 - carboxylic acid ester of formula , ## str7 ## next , the carbo - lower alkoxy group of formula v above is reduced in the presence of an inert organic solvent - to produce ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 5 - hydroxymethyl - oxazolidin - 2 - one of the formula , ## str8 ## the compound of formula 6 is then treated with a sulphonyl chloride of formula r 1 - so 2 cl , wherein r 1 is lower - alkyl or phenyl which may be substituted or unsubstituted , in the presence of a base to produce the sulphonic acid ester of formula vii . when r 1 is lower alkyl , methyl , ethyl and isopropyl are examples thereof . any acid - addition salt of the α - hydroxy - β - amino acid ester may be used to react with a carbonylating agent to produce a compound of formula v . examples of salts of the α - hydroxy -( β - amino acid ester iv are those formed by reacting said ester with an acid , such as acetic acid or sulphuric acid . any conventional carbonylating agent may be used to convert α - hydroxy - β - amino acid ester of formula iv , or salt thereof , to a compound of formula v . the preferred carbonylating agents are carbonyldiimidazole , phenyl chloroformate , triphosgene and preferably phosgene . the carbonylation of iv or a salt thereof is conveniently carried out in a solvent . any inert organic solvent may be used , such as ch 2 cl 2 , toluene or preferably tetrahydrofurane ( thf ). said carbonylation is carded out at a temperature between - 10 ° c . and + 50 ° c . the preferred temperature for carbonylation is between 0 ° c . and 20 ° c . the carbonylating step may optionally be carded out in the presence of a base such as triethylamine , k 2 co 3 or nahco 3 . the reduction of the 2 - oxo - oxazolidine - 5 - carboxylic acid ester v is conveniently carded out in the presence of a solvent using sodium bis ( 2 - methoxyethoxy ) aluminium hydride , lialh 4 or preferably nabh 4 . any inert organic solvent may be used , such as toluene , thf or preferably ethanol may be used . the temperature for said reaction is not critical , but is preferably between 0 ° c . and 60 ° c . best results are obtained when the temperature for reducing the ester of formula v is 22 ° c . the treating of the alcohol of formula 6 with a sulphonyl chloride is carried out in a solvent in the presence of a base . any solvent may be used as the reaction medium , such as ethyl acetate , acetone or thf . best results are obtained when the solvent is thf . any base may be used , such as triethylamine or preferably n - methylmorpholine . the temperature is not critical but it is preferable to carry out said treating at a temperature between 0 ° c . and 60 ° c . best results are obtained at a temperature between 20 ° c . and 40 ° c . the above α - hydroxy - β - amino acid esters iv used to produce a compound of formula vii , can be prepared in accordance with the invention by cyanolating 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - al of formula , ## str9 ## into the 1 - cyano - 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - ol derivative of formula , ## str10 ## any tri ( lower - alkyl ) silyl group present in the nitrile of formula ii is cleaved by treating said nitrile with an acid to produce a nitrile of formula ii wherein r 3 is hydrogen . next , the nitrile of formula ii is treated with a strong acid in the presence of a lower alkanol r 2 - oh , wherein r 2 is as above , to convert said nitrile into an acid - addition salt of the imino ether of formula , ## str11 ## wherein r 4 is hydrogen , lower - alkanoyl or benzyloxycarbonyl and r 2 is lower - alkyl . this acid - addition salt of the imino ether of formula ii &# 39 ; may be isolated and then hydrolyzed to produce an α - hydroxy acid ester of the formula , ## str12 ## the compound of formula iii can then be converted into the α - hydroxy - β - amino acid ester of formula iv by treating it firstly with a base and then with a strong acid . any tri ( lower - alkyl ) silyl group may be used . the preferred silyl group is trimethylsilyl . for the preparation of a nitrile ii in which r 3 is hydrogen , a reaction mixture is produced by treating a solution of the aldehyde of formula 1 , in the presence of a solvent with aqueous sodium pyrosulphite . any inert organic solvent may be used as the reaction medium . the preferred solvent is toluene . the resulting reaction mixture is then treated with nacn , optionally in a solvent such as water , aqueous dichloromethane or aqueous toluene . in a variant , a reaction mixture of the aldehyde 1 and znbr 2 is formed in a solvent , such as ch 2 cl 2 and the reaction mixture is reacted with trimethylsilyl cyanide at a temperature from about + 70 ° c . to about 0 ° c . to produce a silyl ether of the cyanohydrin . the silylether is then cleaved by the addition of a solution of citric acid in ethanol to produce a nitrile of formula ii , in which r 3 is hydrogen . for the preparation of a nitrile ii in which r 3 is lower - alkanoyl , e . g . acetyl , a reaction mixture is produced by treating a solution of the aldehyde 1 with the corresponding acid anhydride , e . g ., acetic anhydride , in a solvent such as ch 2 cl 2 . the resulting reaction mixture is treated with nacn in the presence of benzyltriethylammonium chloride while cooling conveniently to - 10 ° c . to 0 ° c . for the preparation of a nitrile ii in which r 3 is benzyloxycarbonyl , an analogous procedure is followed , but using benzyl chloroformate in place of an acid anhydride . the nitrile ii in which r 3 is hydrogen can be also obtained by hydrogenating the nitrile ii in which r 3 is benzyloxycarbonyl in a solvent such as ethanol or ch 2 cl 2 . the strong acid used to convert the nitrile ii to the salt of the imino ether of formula ii &# 39 ; may be any strong acid . best results are obtained when the strong acid is hcl . any solvent may be used such as a lower alkanol ch 2 cl 2 , toluene , t - butyl methyl ether and the like . the preferred solvent is a mixture of ch 2 cl 2 and a lower alkanol or a mixture of toluene and a lower alkanol . the temperature for converting nitrile ii to ii &# 39 ; is not critical . best results are obtained when treating the nitrile ii with a strong acid while cooling to - 10 ° c . to + 10 ° c ., conveniently to 0 ° c . hydrolyzing the salt of the imino ether of formula ii &# 39 ; to the hydroxy acid ester iii is carried out in the presence of a solvent , such as aqueous ethyl acetate , ch 2 cl 2 , or preferably in the presence of a mixture of an aqueous toluene and a lower alkanol . the isomers of the salt of the ( s , s )- imino ether of formula ii &# 39 ; may be separated by crystallization of the salt . the isomers of the α - hydroxy acid ester of formula iii may also be separated by crystallization . when ch 2 cl 2 is used as the solvent during such crystallization of ii &# 39 ; or iii , the isomer purity is within the range of 93 - 99 %. when toluene is used as the solvent , it is not possible to separate the isomers of the salt of ii &# 39 ;. isomers of compound iv and 6 can also be separated by crystallization , wherein an enrichment up to 92 % and 99 %, respectively , of desired isomers is achieved . all compounds iii can also be separated by chromotography on sio 2 . the compound of formula iv is obtained by treating a compound iii firstly with a base and then with a strong acid . any base may be used . the preferred base is methylamine . likewise , any strong acid may be used , e . g ., preferred strong acid is hcl . treating iv with a base and a strong acid is carried out in sequence in the presence of a solvent such as thf or preferably an alcohol such as a lower alkanol , especially methanol . the temperature for such treating is not critical ; however , the preferred temperature is - 10 ° to + 20 ° c . best results are obtained when the treating with a base is carried out at 0 ° c ., and the treating with a strong acid is carred out at 20 ° c . the aldehyde starting material 1 is obtained by heating l - phenylalanine with phthalic anhydride in toluene , reacting the resulting n - protected l - phenylalanine with oxalyl chloride in toluene and catalytic amounts of dmf , followed by catalytic ( pd / c ) hydrogenation of the resulting acid chloride corresponding to the desired aldehyde 1 in the presence of 1 , 2 - butylene oxide in toluene . example 1 ( vii + 8 → 9 , r 1 = p - no 2 c 6 h 4 ) a ) a suspension of 24 . 69 g of p - nitrobenzenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester ( example 12 ), 15 . 0 g of n - tert . butyl - decahydro -( 4as , 8as )- isoquinoline - 3 ( s )- carboxamide and 10 . 0 g of sodium carbonate in 76 ml of 4 - methyl - 2 - pentanone is heated under reflux for 10 hours while stirring . the suspension is cooled to 80 ° c ., diluted with 178 ml of 4 - methyl - 2 - pentanone and 54 ml of 3n hydrochloric acid , cooled to 40 ° c and filtered . the residue is washed with water and 4 - methyl - 2 - pentanone and dried to give 35 . 1 g ( 88 %) of ( 3s , 4as , 8as )- 2 -[( 4s , 5r )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ]- n - tert . butyl - decahydro - isoquinoline - 3 - carboxamide p - nitrobenzenesulphonate , [ α ] d 20 =- 31 . 2 ° ( 1 % in dmf ). b ) the same salt is obtained in 89 % yield using triethylamine ( 2 equivalents ) in place of sodium carbonate . analogously to example 1b ), by reacting 14 g of methanesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester ( example 9 ) with 11 . 7 g of n - tert . butyl - decahydro -( 4as , 8as )- isoquinoline - 3 ( s )- carboxamide there are obtained , after the additon of 1 equivalent of p - tolylsulphonic acid , 11 . 8 g ( 40 %) of ( 3s , 4as , 8as )- 2 -[( 4s , 5r )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ]- n - tert . butyl - decahydro - isoquinoline - 3 - carboxamide p - tolylsulphonate , m . p . 203 °- 205 ° c . analogously to example 1b ), by reacting 7 . 2 g of p - toluene - sulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester ( example 11 ) with 4 . 8 g of n - tert . butyl - decahydro -( 4as , 8as )- isoquinoline - 3 ( s )- carboxamide there are obtained 5 . 4 g ( 45 %) of ( 3s , 4as , 8as )- 2 -[( 4s , 5r )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ]- n - tert .- butyl - decahydro - isoquinoline - 3 - carboxamide p - tolylsuphonate , m . p . 202 °- 204 ° c . analogously to example 1b ), by reacting 30 g of p - bromobenzenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester ( example 13 ) with 16 . 8 g of n - tert . butyl - decahydro -( 4as , 8as )- isoquinoline - 3 -( s )- carboxamide there are obtained 36 . 5 g ( 78 %) of ( 3s , 4as , 8as )- 2 -[( 4s , 5r )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl - n - tert . butyl - decahydro - isoquinoline - 3 - carboxamide p - bromophenylsulphonate [ α ] d 20 : - 29 . 9 ° ( 1 % in dmf ). example 5 ( vii + 8 → 9 , r 1 = o - no 2 c 6 h 4 ) analogously to example 1b ), by reacting 39 . 2 g of o - nitrobenzenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester ( example 10 ) with 23 . 8 g of n - tert . butyl - decahydro -( 4as , 8as )- isoquinoline - 3 ( s )- carboxamide there are obtained , after the addition of 1 equivalent of p - tolylsuphonic acid , 42 g ( 70 %) of ( 3s , 4as , 8as )- 2 -[( 4s , 5r )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ]- n - tert . butyl - decahydro - isoquinoline - 3 - carboxamide p - tolylsuphonate , [ α ] d 20 : - 34 . 2 ° ( 1 % in dmf ). 34 . 7 g of the salt product from example 1 are partitioned between 110 ml of ethyl acetate and * 110 ml of saturated sodium bicarbonate . the aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate and the ethyl acetate extract is washed with 110 ml of saturated sodium bicarbanate and with water . the organic extracts are evaporated , the residue is diluted with 55 ml of ethanol and treated with a solution of 11 . 0 g of sodium hydroxide in 55 ml of water while stirring . the mixture is heated under reflux for 5 hours , diluted with 55 ml of h 2 o and cooled to 22 ° c . the suspension is filtered and the residue is washed with water until the filtrate has a neutral ph . the residue is dried to give 20 . 7 g ( 93 %) of 2 -[ 3 ( s )- amino - 2 ( r )- hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyl ]- n - tert . butyl - decahydro ( 4as , 8as )- isoquinoline - 3 ( s ) - carboxamide , m . p . 175 °- 176 ° c . a ) 39 g of phosgene are conducted into a suspension of 43 g of a 92 : 8 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 - amino - 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenyl - butyrate acetate ( example 23b ) in 350 ml of thf at 0 ° c . after stirring at 0 ° c . for 1 hour and at 22 ° c . for 24 hours the solution is concentrated to dryness , the residue is dissolved in 200 ml of ch 2 cl 2 and washed with water and saturated nahco 3 . the aqueous phases are extracted with ch 2 cl 2 and the combined ch 2 cl 2 phases are dried and filtered . the filtrate is evaporated to give a crude 92 : 8 mixture of the ( 4s , 5s ) and ( 4s , 5r ) isomers of methyl 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidine - 5 - carboxylate . tlc ( sio 2 , ethyl acetate ): r f = 0 . 5 . yield 100 %. b ) analogously to example 7a ), by reacting a 98 : 2 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 - amino - 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate acetate ( example 23a ) there is obtained a crude 98 : 2 mixture of the ( 4s , 5s ) and ( 4s , 5r ) isomers of methyl 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidine - 5 - carboxylate in 100 % yield . tlc ( sio 2 , ethyl acetate ): r f = 0 . 5 . a ) 150 g of the 98 : 2 mixture of ( 4s , 5s ) and ( 4s , 5r ) isomers of methyl 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidine - 5 - carboxylate from example 7b ) are added at 15 °- 20 ° c . over 1 . 5 hours to a stirred solution of 20 . 8 g of nabh 4 in 360 ml of ethanol and stirred for 2 hours . the suspension is treated with 540 ml of water at 20 ° c . and the ph is brought to 7 with 165 ml of 3n hydrochloric acid . the suspension is stirred at 22 ° c . for 2 . 5 hours , left to stand at 4 ° c . for 18 hours , then filtered and the residue is washed with water and dried to give 111 . 6 g ( 84 %) of 99 % ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 5 - hydroxymethyl - oxazolidin - 2 - one , m . p . 167 . 3 °- 168 . 9 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : - 79 . 4 ° ( 1 % in methanol ). b ) analogously to example 8a ), from the 92 : 8 mixture of the ( 4s , 5s ) and ( 4s , 5r ) isomers from example 7a ) there is obtained in 75 % yield 99 % ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 5 - hydroxymethyl - oxazolidin - 2 - one , m . p . 167 °- 169 ° c . a solution of 4 . 7 ml of methanesulphonyl chloride in 10 ml of acetone is added at 25 ° c . to a suspension of 10 . 4 g of the alcohol from example 8 in 20 ml of acetone and 6 . 1 ml of n - methylmorpholine and the suspension is stirred at 25 ° c . for 3 hours . a further 1 . 1 ml of n - methylmorpholine are added and the mixture is stirred for 1 hour . the suspension is shaken with 80 ml of semi - saturated nahco 3 solution and ethyl acetate and the separated aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate extracts are washed with water , dried and filtered . the filtrate is concentrated to give 14 . 3 g ( 100 %) of crude methanesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester , tlc ( sio 2 ethyl acetate ): r f = 0 . 4 ; ms ( el ): 286 ( m + h + ). example 10 ( 6 → vii , r 1 = o - no 2 c 6 h 4 ) analogously to example 9 , from 50 g of the alcohol from example 8 and 80 g of o - nitrobenzenesulphonyl chloride there are obtained 88 . 2 g ( 93 %) of o - nitrobenzenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester , tlc ( sio 2 , ethyl acetate ): r f = 0 . 38 ; ms ( el ): 393 ( m + m + ). 5 . 6 ml of triethylamine are added at 22 ° c . to a stirred suspension of 5 . 55 g of the alcohol from example 8 in 27 ml of acetone and 6 . 64 g of p - toluenesulphonyl chloride and stirred at 22 ° c . for 6 . 5 hours . the suspension is treated with water , stirred at 10 ° c ., filtered , the residue is washed with a water / acetone solution ( 3 : 2 ) and dried to give 9 . 09 g ( 94 %) of 99 % p - toluenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester , m . p . 148 . 7 °- 150 . 3 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : + 3 . 0 ° ( 1 % acetone ). example 12 ( 6 → vii , r 1 = p - no 2 c 6 h 4 ) 15 . 4 g of p - nitrobenzenesulphonyl chloride are added in portions at 20 °- 25 ° c . to a stirred suspension of 12 . 0 g of the alcohol from example 8 in 35 ml of thf and 7 . 66 ml of n - methylmorpholine and stirred for 4 . 5 hours . the suspension is again treated with 0 . 77 ml of n - methylmorpholine and stirred at 22 ° c . for 4 . 5 hours . the mixture is treated with 70 ml of a 2 % sodium bicarbonate solution , stirred for 1 . 5 hours , filtered , the residue is washed with water and ethanol and dried to give 21 . 4 g ( 94 %) of 98 . 5 % p - nitrobenzenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester , m . p . 148 °- 149 . 5 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : 10 . 0 ° ( 1 % in acetone ). example 13 ( 6 → vii , r 1 = p - brc 6 h 4 ) analogously to example 12 , from 35 g of the alcohol product from example 8 and 56 . 1 g of p - bromobenzenesulphonyl chloride there are obtained 65 . 5 g ( 91 %) of p - bromobenzenesulphonic acid ( 4s , 5s )- 4 - benzyl - 2 - oxo - oxazolidin - 5 - ylmethyl ester , m . p . 151 . 6 °- 153 ° c . a solution of 5 g of 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - al and 3 . 66 g of acetic anhydride in 30 ml of ch 2 cl 2 is added dropwise at 0 ° c . while stirring to a mixture of 1 . 76 g of nacn and 0 . 16 g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride in 30 ml of ch 2 cl 2 and 55 ml of water and stirred at 0 ° c . for a further 7 hours . the aqueous phase is extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the extracts are dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue is chromatographed on silica gel with ch 2 cl 2 : isopropanol ( 100 : 1 ). there are obtained 6 . 12 g ( 98 %) of a 75 : 25 mixture of ( 2s , 3s )- and ( 2r , 3s )- 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - acetoxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile , ir ( film ): 2227w ( cn ), 1773s , 1760s and 1717s ( c = o from imide and acetate ). a ) a solution of 11 . 16 g of 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - al and 0 . 7 g of benzyltriethylammonium chloride in 70 ml of ch 2 cl 2 is treated with 6 . 2 ml of benzyl chloroformate at - 10 ° c . while stirring . a solution of 3 . 10 g of nacn in 50 ml of h 2 o is then added dropwise . after 0 . 5 hour at - 10 ° c . the mixture is warmed to 0 ° c . the ch2cl 2 phase is washed with water and with saturated nacl solution . the aqueous phase is extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the ch 2 cl 2 phases are dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue contains 18 . 33 g of a 70 : 30 mixture of ( 2s , 3s )- and ( 2r , 3s )- 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - benzyloxycarbonyloxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile , ms ( el ): 349 ( 6 , m + - - c 6 h 5 ch 2 ), 288 ( 6 , m + - c 6 h 5 ch 2 ocooh ), 91 ( 100 , c 6 h 5 ch 2 ); ir ( film ): 2240w ( cn ), 1763s and 1717s ( c = o from imide and carbamate ). b ) a suspension of 2 g of the benzyl carbonate from a ) and 0 . 15 g of pd / c ( 10 %) in 12 ml of ethanol and 2 ml of ch 2 cl 2 is hydrogenated at 22 ° c . for 2 hours , then filtered , washed with ch 2 cl 2 and the filtrate is concentrated . there are obtained 1 . 35 g ( 97 %) of a 73 : 27 mixture of ( 2s , 3s )- and ( 2r , 3s )- 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutronitrile , ir ( kbr ): 3450 m ( oh ), 2250w ( c . tbd . n ), 1775 m and 1712s ( c = o from imide ). a suspension of 5 g of 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - al and 4 . 43 g of znbr 2 in 50 ml of ch 2 cl 2 is treated at - 15 ° c . while stirring with a solution of 1 . 95 g of trimethylsilyl cyanide in 5 ml of ch 2 cl 2 and stirred at - 15 ° c . for 5 hours . the silyl ether formed is cleaved by the addition of a solution of 5 g of citric acid in 50 ml of ethanol at - 10 ° c . the mixture is concentrated and the residue is treated with h 2 o and extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the organic extracts are dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue contains 5 . 45 g ( 99 %) of crude 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyroronitrile as a 74 : 26 mixture of ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2r , 3s ), ir ( kbr ): 3437 m ( oh ), 2250w ( c . tbd . n ), 1775 m and 1713s ( c = o from imide ). a ) a suspension of 82 . 6 g of l - phenylalanine and 74 . 1 g of phthalic anhydride in 600 ml of toluene is heated under argon and under reflux for 8 hours . the resulting suspension is cooled to 22 ° c . and treated with 0 . 5 ml of dmf , followed by 66 . 64 g of oxalyl chloride . after stirring for 2 hours argon is blown into the suspension . b ) the solution containing the 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropionyl chloride is diluted with 500 ml of toluene and treated with 72 . 11 g of 1 , 2 - butylene oxide . 23 . 5 g of pd / c ( 5 %) and 100 ml of toluene are added to the solution . the suspension is hydrogenated for 17 hours while stirring , then filtered and the residue is washed with 200 ml of toluene . c ) a solution of 95 . 05 g of sodium pyrosulphite in 1 l of water is added at 22 ° c . while stirring to the solution containing the 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - al . after stirring for 4 . 5 hours the aqueous phase containing the addition product of bisulphite and the above aldehyde is washed with toluene . the toluene phases are extracted with water . 1200 ml of ch 2 cl 2 are added to the aqueous phases and the mixture is treated at 22 ° c . while stirring with a solution of 41 . 66 g of nacn in 330 ml of water . after stirring for 1 . 2 hours water is added . the separated aqueous phase is extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the organic phases are dried , filtered and the residue is washed with ch 2 cl 2 . the filtrates are evaporated and the residue is dissoved in 200 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . 600 ml of hexane are added to the solution at 30 ° c . while stirring and then a further 600 ml of hexane are added at 0 ° c . the suspension is filtered , the residue is washed with hexane and then dried . there are obtained 114 . 02 g ( 74 %) of a 74 . 7 : 23 . 5 : 1 . 4 : 0 . 4 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ):( 2r , 3r ):( 2s , 3r ) isomers of 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile , m . p . 127 . 2 °- 130 . 5 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : - 146 . 6 ° ( 1 % in ch 2 cl 2 ). a solution of 47 . 5 g of sodium pryrosulphite in 500 ml of water is added at 22 ° c . while stirring to the solution containing the product from example 17b , i . e . 3 - phenyl - 2 ( s )- phthalimidopropan - 1 - al . after stirring for 7 . 5 hours the aqueous phase containing the addition product of pyrosulphite and the above aldehyde is washed with toluene . the toluene phases are extracted with water . a solution of 24 . 2 g of nacn in 200 ml of water is added at 25 ° c . while stirring to the aqueous phases . the suspension is filtered after stirring for 1 hour and the residue is washed neutral with water . after drying there are obtained 112 . 03 g ( 73 %) of a 67 . 2 : 32 . 8 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ) isomers of 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4phenylbutyronitrile , m . p . 131 °- 133 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : - 150 . 2 ° ( 1 % in ch 2 cl 2 ). example 19 ( ii → iii , r 2 = ch 3 , r 3 = r 4 = h ) a ) a solution of 100 g of 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile ( example 17c ) in 450 ml of ch 2 cl 2 is added at 0 ° c . to a solution of 400 g of hcl in 980 ml of methanol . after stirring at 0 ° c . for 18 hours the suspension is filtered . a mixture of 600 ml of ethyl acetate and 600 ml of water is added to the residue containing the resulting imino ether . hcl . after the solid has dissolved the aqueous phase is extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic phases are washed with saturated nahco 3 solution and with water and then dried . the suspension is filtered and the filtrate is evaporated to give 77 . 15 g ( 70 %) of a 93 : 7 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate , [ α ] d 20 : - 121 . 5 ° ( 1 % in ethyl acetate ). b ) 120 g of hcl are introduced at 0 ° c . into a solution of 200 g of 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile ( example 17c ) in 1200 ml of toluene and 106 ml of methanol and stirred at 0 ° c . for 3 hours . the suspension is treated with 1200 ml of water and 400 ml of methanol and stirred at 22 ° c . for 2 hours . the aqueous phase is extracted with toluene . the organic phases are washed with water , dried , filtered and the filtrate is evaporated to give 221 g ( 100 %) of a 75 : 25 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate , [ α ] d 20 : - 133 . 1 ° ( 1 % in ethyl acetate ). example 20 ( ii → iii , r 2 = c 2 h 5 , r 3 = r 4 = h ) 150 ml of hcl - saturated ethanol is treated at 0 ° c . with a solution of 30 g of 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile ( example 17c ) in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . after 4 hours at 0 ° c . the suspension is diluted with 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 , filtered and the residue is washed with ch 2 cl 2 . in order to hydrolyze the imino ether . hcl formed , the residue is taken up in 250 ml of toluene , 250 ml of water and 12 ml of ethanol . after stirring for 4 hours the aqueous phase is extracted with toluene and the toluene phases are washed with water . the toluene phases are dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue contains 19 . 54 g ( 57 %) of a 95 : 5 mixture of ethyl ( 2s , 3s )- and ( 2r , 3s )- 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate , m . p . 83 . 1 °- 84 . 3 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : - 143 . 1 ° ( 1 % in ethyl acetate ). example 21 ( ii → iii r 2 = i - pr , r 3 , r 4 = h ) a ) 150 ml of hcl - saturated isopropanol are treated at 0 ° c . while stirring with a solution of 30 g of 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydro - isoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile from example 17 c ) in 150 ml of ch 2 cl 2 . after 9 hours at 0 ° c . the solution is treated with 300 ml of h 2 o and stirred at22 ° c . for 4 hours . the phases are separated and the aqueous phase is extracted with ch 2 cl 2 . the organic extracts are washed with water , dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue contains 29 . 73 g ( 83 %) of a 70 : 30 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2r , 3s ) isomers of isopropyl 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate [ α ] d 20 = 126 . 8 ° ( 1 % in ethyl acetate ); ms ( el ): 368 ( 1 , m + h + ), 250 : [ 100 , m - ch ( oh ) cooch ( ch 3 ) 2 ]. b ) the isomer mixture from a ) is dissolved in 180 ml of t - butyl methyl ether , treated with 60 ml of hexane , stirred at 22 ° c . and then at 0 ° c . and - 10 ° c . and filtered . after drying there are obtained 13 . 13 g ( 36 . 5 %) of isopropyl ( 2s , 3s )- 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl ) - 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate , ir ( film ): 3463 m ( oh ), 1773 m , 1730s and 1705s ( c = o from imide and ester ). example 22 ( ii → iii , r 2 = ch 3 , r 3 = ac , r 4 = h ) a solution of 3 . 39 g of a 75 : 25 mixture of ( 2s , 3s )- and ( 2r , 3s )- 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - acetoxy - 4 - phenylbutyronitrile ( example 14 ) in 25 ml of methanol is saturated with hcl at 0 ° c . and stirred at 0 ° c . for 21 hours . the solution is treated with 100 ml of water and extracted with ethyl acetate . the extracts are dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated . the residue contains 3 . 3 g ( 100 %) of a 75 : 25 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate , ir ( film ): 3382 m ( oh ), 1775 m , 1745s and 1712s ( c = o from imide and ester ). a ) a solution of 20 g of a 93 : 7 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate ( example 19a ) in 20 ml of methanol is treated at 0 ° c . while stirring with a solution of 11 . 75 ml of a 18 . 7 % solution of methylamine in methanol and stirred at 0 ° c . for 4 hours . 44 ml of a 20 % solution of hcl in methanol is added to the solution at 0 ° c . after stirring at 22 ° c . for 3 hours the suspension is filtered , the residue is washed with methanol and the filtrate is concentrated . the ph of the residue is adjusted to 4 with dilute ammonia solution at 0 ° c . the aqueous phase is washed with ethyl acetate , the organic phase is extracted with water and the ph of the combined aqueous phases is adjusted to 9 . 3 with ammonia solution at 22 ° c . the aqueous phase is extracted several times with ethyl acetate , the organic phases are dried , filtered and the filtrate is concentrated to 50 g . the residual solution is treated with 3 . 4 ml of acetic acid and stirred at 0 ° c . the suspension is filtered and the residue is washed with ethyl acetate . after drying there are obtained 13 . 83 g ( 87 %) of a 98 : 2 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2 r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 - amino - 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate acetate , m . p . 113 °- 114 . 5 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : + 15 . 3 ° ( 1 % in methanol ). b ) analogously to example 23a , by reacting 54 . 6 g of a 75 : 25 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ):( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 -( 1 , 3 dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate ( example 19b ) there are obtained 28 . 4 g ( 66 %) of a 92 : 8 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2r , 3s ) isomers of methyl 3 - amino - 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate acetate , m . p . 109 °- 110 ° c ., [ α ] d 20 : + 13 . 6 ° ( 1 % in methanol ). analogously to example 23 , by reacting a solution of 10 . 42 g of a 95 : 5 mixture of the ( 2s , 3s ) and ( 2r , 3s ) isomers of ethyl 3 -( 1 , 3 - dioxo - 1 , 3 - dihydroisoindol - 2 - yl )- 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate ( example 20 ) in 10 ml of ethanol with 5 . 9 ml of a 33 % solution of methylamine in ethanol there are obtained 5 . 39 g ( 82 %) of ethyl ( 2s , 3s )- 3 - amino - 2 - hydroxy - 4 - phenylbutyrate , tlc ( sio 2 , ch 2 cl 2 / methanol 10 : 1 , uv 254 ): r f = 0 . 34 .