text: The main features apparent from the reaction sequence below are:
  #Nucleophilic addition of methylamine to succinaldehyde, followed by loss of water to create an imine
  #Intramolecular addition of the imine to the second aldehyde unit and first ring closure 
  #Intermolecular Mannich reaction of the enolate of acetone dicarboxylate
  #New enolate formation and new imine formation with loss of water for
  #Second intramolecular Mannich reaction and second ring closure
  #Loss of 2 carboxylic groups to tropinone
  Some authors have actually tried to retain one of the COH groups.
  COR-tropinone has 4 stereoisomers, although the corresponding ecgonidine alkyl ester has only a pair of enantiomers.