Lipase-catalysed resolution of 3,3'-bi-indolizines: The first preparative access to enantiomerically pure samples

The lipase-catalysed kinetic resolution of the axially chiral 3,3'-bis[1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-phenylindolizine] [(+/-)-1a] and the corresponding 3-hydroxypropyl derivative (+/-)-1b by acylation with vinyl acetate in the presence of lipases from different origins has been investigated. For the first time, enantiomerically pure 3,3'-biindolizine derivatives were obtained on a preparative scale by careful monitoring of the conversion. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd