Synthesis of N-Demethyl-N-Substituted-14-Hydroxycodeine and Morphine Derivatives+

Abstract A fews representatives (1b-d) of a novel group of structurally related morphine-antagonist compounds have been prepared in stereochemically homogeneous form. The employed procedures involve O-demethylation either of the corresponding codeine derivatives 2b-d, or those of the N-alkylated analogues 2b-c synthesized from N-demethylthebaine (7a) by means of N-alkylation and subsequent transformations of 7b, d–compounds selected from the resulting functionalized thebaines 7b-exs.