The crude benzhydryl chloride from above (6.5 g, 21 mmole) was added to 8.3 g (83 mmole) of 1-methylpiperazine and the reaction was heated to reflux for four hours. After cooling to room temperature, the mixture was dissolved in 100 ml of ethyl acetate and washed with two 150 ml portions of 1.0 M sodium hydroxide, followed by two 150 ml portions of water and 100 ml of saturated aqueous sodium chloride. The solution was dried over magnesium sulfate and the solvent removed to give 6.5 g of crude product as an oil. The product was purified by chromatography on silica gel (Waters Prep 500) with dichloromethane:ethanol:triethylamine (100:0.2:0.1) to give a colorless oil. A portion was converted to the dihydrochloride salt with ethanolic hydrochloric acid and precipitated from ethanol with 1:1 hexane:diethyl ether to give 1-(α-(4-bromophenyl)-3-methoxybenzyl)-4-methylpiperazine dihydrochloride as a white powdery solid, mp. 195°-197° C. Calc. for C19H23BrN2O 2HCl: C, 50.91; H, 5.62; N, 6.25; Total halogen calc. as Cl, 23.73. Found: C, 51.00; H, 5.66; N, 6.23; Total halogen calc. as Cl, 23.78.
