Continuous flow synthesis of L-menthyl glyoxylate monohydrate: an important intermediate in the manufacture of antiretrovirals

Abstract

L-Menthyl glyoxylate monohydrate (LMGH) is an important pharmaceutical intermediate in the synthesis of lamivudine and emtricitabine. Conventionally, the synthesis of this intermediate has been done in batch. The present work demonstrates various continuous flow synthetic procedures towards LMGH in up to 78 % yield and 92 % selectivity with residence time of five minutes or less.