A high yield conversion of N-norapomorphine from apomorphine

A rapid, high yield of N-norapomorphine from apomorphine was accomplished by allowing it to react with phenyl chloroformate without isolating and purifying the intermediate carbamate, and have found that the crude carbamate can be easily cleaved in situ with a 1:1 mixture of 64% and 95% hydrazine to afford analytically pure N-norapomorphine in 81% overall yields. Previously, various other methods gave an untoward ring opening reactions and scission of the hydropyridine ring in the apomorphine series.