The invention discloses a synthesis method of a PDE4 inhibitor
apremilast, and belongs to the technical field of
organic synthesis. The preparation method comprises the following steps: taking 3-ethoxy-4-methoxystyrene as an initial
raw material, and carrying out
aziridine treatment on olefin to obtain an intermediate 1; carrying out nucleophilic ring opening on the intermediate 1 and methyl mercaptide to obtain an intermediate 2; then the intermediate 2 and a
tartaric acid resolving agent are subjected to salification and alkali treatment reaction to obtain a chiral intermediate 3, and the intermediate 3 and 3-acetamino
phthalic anhydride are subjected to
condensation reaction to obtain an intermediate 4; and oxidizing the intermediate 4 to obtain
apremilast. The invention develops a green and efficient synthesis process of
apremilast, the target product is prepared through five-step reaction, the process breaks through the situation that a traditional
route depends on high-pressure hydrogenation conditions and use of highly toxic reagents, normal-pressure operation and mild temperature are adopted in the whole process, and the requirement of low-temperature reaction is avoided. The safety in industrial production is improved to a great extent, and the method is more suitable for industrial
continuous production.