EFFICIENT TRANSAMINATION UNDER MILD CONDITIONS - PREPARATION OF PRIMARY AMINE DERIVATIVES FROM CARBONYL-COMPOUNDS VIA IMINE ISOMERIZATION WITH CATALYTIC AMOUNTS OF POTASSIUM TERT-BUTOXIDE

1,3-Prototropic rearrangement of N-diphenylmethanimines was successful ly performed with a catalytic amount of potassium tert-butoxide. This procedure can also be used with aliphatic and aromatic aldimines and w as extended to the isomerization of (1R)-camphorquinone monoimine and -(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-phenyl-3-iminoazetidin-2-one. The isomerized imin es were easily hydrolyzed and isolated as Cbz derivatives.