A new, one-step synthesis of 1-heteroaryl-2-alkylaminoethanols

Refluxing a mixture of a heteroarylcarboxaldehyde and an N-alkylamino acid in dry toluene, in the presence of 4 Å molecular sieves, results in the formation of β-hydroxyamines through the 1,3-electrocyclisation of an azomethine ylide and the subsequent ring-opening hydrolysis of an aziridine. The intermediacy of an azomethine ylide in this process is suggested by the isolation of oxazolidines from the cycloaddition of the azomethine ylides to their aldehyde precursors.