Development of a Scaleable Synthesis of a Geminal Dimethyl Tertiary Amine as an Inhaled Muscarinic Antagonist for the Treatment of COPD

An efficient and scalable process for the synthesis of muscarinic antagonist, PF-3635659 1, is described, illustrating redesign of an analogue-targeted synthesis which contained a scale-limiting rhodium-activated C–H amination step. The final route includes a reproducible modified Bouveault reaction which has not previously been reported on a substrate of this complexity, or on such a scale with over 5 kg of the requisite gem-dimethylamine prepared via this methodology.