Asymmetric Synthesis of 3‐Hydroxyprolines by Photocyclization of N ‐(2‐Benzoylethyl)glycinamides

The chiral N ‐(2‐benzoylethyl)‐ N ‐tosylglycinamides 1a‐c were prepared from the C 2 ‐symmetric pyrrolidines 5a‐c . Irradiation of these ketones 1a‐c gave cis ‐3‐hydroxyprolinamides 10‐12 in moderate to good yields ( Scheme 3 ). The de of the photocyclizations depended on the size of the substituents in positions C(2) and C(5) of the chiral pyrrolidine auxiliaries. In addition, the de varied with the reaction temperature, allowing the determination of activation‐parameter differences. The structure of products 10‐12 were established by NMR and X‐ray analyses.