Diastereoselective and enantioselective synthetic routes for the preparation of compounds of formula (I): ##STR00001## or derivatives thereof, wherein: R is C.sub.1-6alkyl, C.sub.3-7cycloalkyl, C.sub.1-6alkoxy, hydroxy, halo, C.sub.1-6alkenyl, C.sub.1-6alkynyl, amino, C.sub.1-6alkylamino, di(C.sub.1-6alkyl)amino, hydroxyC.sub.1-6alkyl, C.sub.1-6alkoxyC.sub.1-6alkyl, arylC.sub.1-6alkoxy, heteroarylC.sub.1-6alkoxy, aminoC.sub.1-6alkyl, (C.sub.1-6alkyl)aminoC.sub.1-6alkyl, di(C.sub.1-6alkyl)aminoC.sub.1-6alkyl, arylC.sub.1-6alkylamino, heteroarylC.sub.1-6alkyamino; R.sup.1 is hydrogen or R; R.sup.2 is hydroxy, C.sub.1-6alkoxy, amino, C.sub.1-6alkylamino, di(C.sub.1-6alkyl)amino; R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are each independently selected from the list consisting of perhaloC.sub.1-6alkyl, hydrogen, halo, C.sub.1-6alkyl, C.sub.1-6alkoxy, hydroxy, amino, C.sub.1-6alkylamino, di(C.sub.1-6alkyl)amino, hydroxyC.sub.1-6alkyl, C.sub.1-6alkoxyC.sub.1-6alkyl, aminoC.sub.1-6alkyl,(C.sub.1-6alkyl)aminoC.sub.1-6alkyl, di(C.sub.1-6alkyl)aminoC.sub.1-6alkyl, aryl, and COX wherein X may be hydroxy, C.sub.1-6 alkoxy, C.sub.1-6alkyl, amino, C.sub.1-6alkylamino, or di(C.sub.1-6alkyl)amino; and wherein any alkyl group or the alkyl moiety of any group containing such a moiety may be substituted one or more times by halo.