Synthesis of the (R) and (S) Enantiomers of 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-6,7- dihydroxy-1-methylisoquinoline-1-carboxylic Acid

Abstract 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-6,7-dihydroxy-1-methylisoquinoline-1-carboxylic acid (salsolinol-1-carboxylic acid) has been shown to be a bioprecursor of ( R )-salsolinol in humans. We report here a synthesis and the determination of the absolute configurations of both enantiomers of salsolinol-1-carboxylic acid.