Development of a Multistage Technology for the Industrial Synthesis of the Levosimendan API and Enantiomeric Separation of Intermediates

A method for obtaining Levosimendan suitable for industrial application has been developed. Two literature routes for the synthesis have been evaluated. It has been found that the use of enantiopure (R)-2-chloropropionyl chloride in the initial step is ineffective due to racemization at the stage of the synthesis based on the malonic ester. Instead, a reported method based on the synthesis of the Levosimendan precursor, 6-(4-aminophenyl)-5-methyl-4,5-dihydropyridazin-3(2H)-one (1), from racemic 2-bromopropionyl bromide has been modified to allow for scale-up and adaptation to industrial processes. A practical resolution method has been developed to isolate the (R)-enantiomer of amine 1 from the racemic mixture with a high enantiomeric purity (the content of (R)-enantiomer is up to 99%). It has been shown that (R)-1 can be converted to Levosimendan in a high yield without the stereochemical purity loss at the chiral center.