Abstract: A process for producing phosphinopyrrolidine compounds especially useful for preparing optically active compounds through asymmetric synthesis which is a simplified short process requiring neither a step necessitating a high-temperature and high-pressure reaction nor special equipment for production. A phosphino group is incorporated into a pyrrolidine compound in the presence of a boron compound, and the resultant pyrrolidine compound is further reacted while protecting the phosphorous atom, whereby a dicyclohexylphosphino group can be efficiently incorporated into the pyrrolidine nucleus in the 4-position. Thus, the target phosphinopyrrolidine compounds useful as ligands for asymmetric synthesis catalysts can be obtained through a significantly small number of steps without resort to troublesome steps such as the step of reducing a phenyl group at high temperature and high pressure.

Abstract: Novel compound of the following formula ##STR1## wherein X is a member selected from the group consisting of carboxy and carbalkoxy and each or R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 is a member selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, alkoxy, hydroxy, halo, amino, alkylamino, alkylmercapto, nitro, cyano, alkylsulfonyl, carboxy, carbalkoxy, hydroxyalkyl, aminoalkyl, hydroxyalkylamino, and acetoxyalkylamino, and pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof.The above compound can be prepared by heating a 3-(substituted amino)-acridine to cyclize said compound, and if desired, hydrolyzing the resulting product and/or it with an acid.