An efficient reduction protocol for the synthesis of β-hydroxycarbamates from β-nitro alcohols in one pot: a facile synthesis of (−)-β-conhydrine

An efficient and practical one-pot protocol for the reduction of β-nitro alcohols to their corresponding N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl) amino alcohols using Zn–NH4Cl in aqueous methanol is described. Other reducible groups such as ketones and isolated double bonds remained intact. This methodology allows a short synthesis of (−)-β-conhydrine to be achieved.