More particularly,: a) 1-hydroxymethylcyclopentylamine can be prepared by the reduction of 1-amino-1-cyclopentane carboxylic acid with lithium aluminum hydride as set forth below: ##STR5## The reduction is conducted in the presence of an inert, organic solvent, preferably a cyclic ether such as tetrahydrofuran, at the reflux temperature of the solvent for a period of between 14 and 24 hours. (b) 2