Potassium carbonate powder (2.28 kg, 16.5 mol, 325 mesh) and milled (2R)-2-methylpyrrolidine tartrate (1.78 kg, 7.48 mol) were combined in acetonitrile (37.4 kg) and heated at 55° C. with agitation for 36 hours. The mixture was chilled to about 25° C., and the product from Example 1C (2.07 kg, 4.98 mol) was added to the mixture in portions. The reaction mixture was heated at 65° C. with -agitation for about 48 hours. The mixture was cooled to about 25° C., filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated to a volume of about 10 L. The mixture was partitioned between toluene (32.3 kg) and 5% NaHCO3 solution (23.7 kg). The organic phase was separated and washed with 5% NaHCO3 solution (23.7 kg). The organic phase was then extracted with a mixture of CH3SO3H:N-methylpyrrolidinone:H2O (10:20:70 v/v/v) (32 kg, 8.0 kg respectively). The extract was treated with isopropyl acetate (32.5 kg) and the pH adjusted to about 12 with 50% NaOH solution (about. 4.9 kg) at about 30° C. After stirring, the organic phase was separated and the aqueous phase was extracted with isopropyl acetate (IPAC) (6.0 kg). The organic phases were combined, washed with 5% NaHCO3 (33 kg×3), distilled water (33 kg×2), distilled to a volume of about 10 L, and chased with IPAC (15.6 kg) to about 10 L. The mixture was diluted with isopropyl alcohol (14.5 kg) and concentrated to 10 L. Additional 14.5 kg of isopropyl alcohol was added and the solution concentrated to a volume of 10 L. The solution was treated with active carbon (Darco KB-B, 0.125 kg) and heated at 30° C. with stirring for 1 hour. The mixture was filtered through a pad of Celite® and the Celite® washed with isopropyl alcohol (6.3 kg). The filtrate (about 13 kg) was used directly in the next step (1.17 kg).
