An optically active 1-(fluoro- or trifluoromethyl-substituted
phenyl)ethylamine is produced with high optical purity and in an
industrially simple and efficient manner by asymmetrically reducing an
optically active imine, obtained by dehydration and condensation of a
fluoro- or trifluoromethyl-substituted phenylmethyl ketone and an
optically active primary amine under acidic conditions, using a hydride
reducing agent to convert to an optically active secondary amine, and
subjecting the secondary amine or its salt of an inorganic acid or organic
acid to hydrogenolysis. In addition, an optically active 1-(fluoro- or
trifluoromethyl-substituted phenyl)ethylamine is purified to an even
higher optical purity in an industrially simple and efficient manner by
converting the optically active secondary amine of the synthetic
intermediate obtained by asymmetric reduction, or an optically active
1-(3,5-bis-trifluoromethylphenyl)ethylamine, one of the target compounds,
to an inorganic or organic acid salt followed by recrystallization
purification. This ethylamine is an important intermediate of
pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals.
