An Asymmetric Synthesis of Aporphine and Related Alkaloids via Chiral Formamidines. (+)-Glaucine, (+)-Homoglaucine, and (-)-8,9-Didemethoxythalisopavine

The use of chiral formamidines as a tool for reaching a number of chiral nonracemic alkaloids has been demonstrated in earlier reports from this laboratory.¹ The fact that they are prepared in either racemic fashion or as pure enantiomers makes the formamidine methodology a rather viable route to these systems and other elaborated amines.².