Under a nitrogen atmosphere a stirred solution of 2.5 grams (0.008 mole) of 5-[3-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)phenyl]hexanenitrile in 20 mL of tetrahydrofuran was cooled to about -78 ° C., and 3.2 mL (0.008 mole) of n-butyllithium (2.5 molar in hexane) was added dropwise. Upon completion of addition, the reaction mixture was stirred at -78 ° C. for 30 minutes, and then 1.1 grams (0.012 mole) of ethyl acetate was added dropwise. Upon completion of addition, the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to ambient temperature as it stirred for about 60 hours. The reaction mixture was partitioned between ethyl acetate and aqueous dilute hydro-chloric acid. The organic layer was dried with sodium sulfate and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to a residue. The residue was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel, using 25% ethyl acetate in hexane as the eluant. The product-containing fractions were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure, yielding about 0.9 gram of 3-cyano-2-oxo-6-[3-(4-trifluoromethylphenyl)phenyl]heptane. The NMR spectrum was consistent with the proposed structure.
