This invention discloses a method for preparing
dihydrolipoic acid, relating to the field of pharmaceutical synthesis technology. The invention comprises the following steps: a) using a low-carbon
alcohol as a reaction
solvent, adding 6,8-dichlorooctanoic acid methyl ester,
sodium sulfide nonahydrate, and
sulfur, heating to
reflux, and cooling and filtering after the reaction is completed; b) adding water and a
metal reducing agent to the filtrate, heating to
reflux under
nitrogen protection, and then cooling to
room temperature; c) adjusting the solution pH to 1-2 with dilute
hydrochloric acid or the like, and recovering the alcoholic reaction
solvent under reduced pressure; d) extracting the product with an
organic solvent, and finally distilling under reduced pressure to obtain the product. This invention uses inexpensive 6,8-dichlorooctanoic acid methyl ester as the base
raw material and readily available and inexpensive
metal reducing agents, which can effectively reduce costs, have low requirements for
reaction conditions, and reduce the difficulty of preparation.