Aluminium lithium hydride → 4-Benzyl-1-[2-(2-fluorophenyl)propyl]piperazine

Lithium aluminium hydride (1M, 34 ml) was added dropwise over 15 min to a 0° C. solution of 4-benzyl-1-[2-(2-fluorophenyl)propanoyl]piperazine (5.54 g, 0.017 mol) in THF (150 ml). The reaction mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 10 min and at room temperature for 24 h, cooled to 0° C. and quenched with water (1.6 ml), 4N NaOH (1.6 ml) and water (4.5 ml). The solid was filtered off through celite and the filtrate evaporated. Chromatography on silica gel with dichloromethane-methanol (99:1) yielded 4-benzyl-1-[2-(2-fluorophenyl)propyl]piperazine (3.17 g, 60%) as a colourless oil.