An Efficient Synthesis of Rabeprazole Sodium

This paper deals with an efficient preparation of 2-Chloromethyl pyridine intermediate useful for preparation of pyridinylmethyl sulphinyl benzimidazole especially Rabeprazole sodium. In the present study, we have demonstrated a shorter route of synthesis for 2-Chloromethyl pyridine intermediate and in situ condensation with 2-Mercaptobenzimidazole to get Rabeprazole. This strategy is extremely advantageous from the commercial scale up point and would help in reducing the overall timeline and cost for the large scale manufacture of Rabeprazole sodium.