An Expeditious Synthesis of Dimethyl 1-Benzyl-cis-Piperidine-3,5-Dicarboxylate

Abstract
A mixture of dimethyl 1-benzyl-cis-and trans-piperidine-3,5-dicarboxylate is prepared in high yields from readily available starting materials, by a reliable procedure. The straightforward conversion of the mixture into the diastereomerically pure cis-isomer, a useful [sgrave]-symmetry intermediate for alkaloid synthesis, is also described.