| abstract |
A process for the preparation of citalopram and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts therof is disclosed by reacting 5-cyanophthalide with a 4-fluorophenyl magnesium halide, reducing the 3-hydroxymethyl-4-(4-fluorobenzoyl)benzonitrile with an agent reducing ketones to alcohols, submitting the thus-obtained 3-hydroxymethyl-4- [(4-fluorophenyl)hydroxymethyl) benzonitrile to a cyclization reaction to give 1-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-dihydro-5isobenzofurancarbonitrile without 1,1-bis(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-dihydro-5- isobenzofurancarbonitrile and treating 1,1-bis(4 fluorophenyl)-1,3-dihydro-5- isobenzofurancarbonitrile with a 3-(dimetylamino)propyl halide in the presence of a base. |