Novel pkocess fos elimination of

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE 4-HYDROXYL GROUP FROM A MORPHINAN SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF C-RING SATURATED AND C-RING UNSATURATED D-MORPHINANS, L-MORPHINANS, D-ISOMORPHINANS AND L-ISOMORPHINANS WHICH HAVE A LOWER ALKOXY GROUP AT THE 3-POSITION AND A HYDROXYL GROUP AT THE 4-POSITION AND THE C-RING OF WHICH IS SUBSITUTED BY A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN AND LOWER ALKYL, LOWER ALKOXY, HYDROXYL, OXO AND LOWER ALKYLENEDIOXY GROUPS, AND THE N-ATOM OF WHICH BEARS A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF HYDROGEN AND LOWER ALKYL, PHENYL (LOWER)ALKYL, PHENYL-(LOWER)ALKYLCARBONYL AND CYANO GROUPS, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF REACTING SAID MORPHINAN WITH ARYL HALIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENYL HALIDE, NAPHTHYL HALIDE, PYRIDYL HALIDE AND QUINOLYL HALIDE AT 100-200* C. IN THE PRESENCE OF COPPER POWDER TO FORM THE CORRESPONDING 4-ARYL ETHER, AND REDUCING THE LATTER WITH A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP COONSISTING OF ALKALI METAL AND ALKALINE EARTH METAL IN A SOLVENT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LIQUID AMMONIA AND LIQUID AMMONIA CONTAINING A MEMBER SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ETHER, DIOXANE, TETRAHYDROFURAN AND TOLUENE AT -33 TO 70* C. TO ELIMATE SELECTIVELY THE 4-ARYLOXY GROUP.