Synthesis of Reboxetine Intermediate and Carnitine Acetyltransferase Inhibitor via NBS-Induced Electrophilic Multicomponent Reaction

N-Bromosuccinimide-induced electrophilic multicomponent reaction has been applied to the synthesis of Reboxetine intermediate, a highly potent selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. By simply changing the olefinic partner, the synthesis of a carnitine acetyltransferase inhibitor, which contains a 2,6,6-trisubstituted morpholine system, can be accomplished.