n-Butyl lithium (0.246 mL, 1.6 M in hexanes) was added to a solution of diisopropyl amine (0.055 mL, 0.45 mmol) in anhydrous THF (5 mL) at 0° C. The reaction mixture was cooled to −78° C. and stirred for 15 minutes. A solution of 2,3-dimethylbenzofuran (48 mg, 0.4 mmol) in 2 mL anhydrous THF was added dropwise to this mixture. After the addition, the reaction mixture was stirred for 15 to 30 minutes. 1,1,1-Trifluoro-4-(5-fluoro-2-methoxyphenyl)-4-methylpentan-2-one (100 mg, 0.4 mmol) (Example 1) was added as a solution in anhydrous THF (2 mL) in one portion, the cold bath was removed, and the reaction was stirred at room temperature for 12 hours. THF was evaporated under reduced pressure. Water (2 mL) was added to the residue and the mixture was extracted with three 5 mL portions of EtOAc. The extract was dried over magnesium sulfate. After evaporation, the residue was chromatographed on a silica gel column to provide 80 mg of the title compound as an oil.
