Sodium hydride → N-[4-(6-Fluorobenzothiazol-2-ylmethoxy)phenyl]acetamide

18.8 mg of sodium hydride (as a 60% w/w dispersion in mineral oil) were added to a solution of 64.6 mg of4-acetamidophenol in 1.3 ml of dimethylformamide cooled in an ice-water bath, and the resulting mixture stirred at the same temperature for 3 minutes. A solution of 122.8 mg of 6-fluoro-2-methanesulfonyloxymethylbenzothiazole [prepared as described in step (c) above] in 0.4 ml of dimethylformamide was then added to the reaction mixture. The temperature of the resulting mixture was then elevated to room temperature and the mixture was stirred for 3 hours. At the end of this time, a saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution was added to the reaction mixture and the resulting mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The resulting extract was washed consecutively with water and an aqueous sodium chloride solution and then dried over sodium sulfate. The solvent was removed by evaporation under reduced pressure, and the resulting residue was purified by column chromatography through silica gel using a 1:2 by volume mixture of hexane and ethyl acetate as the eluent, to give 38.3 mg (yield 28%) of the title compound as a solid having a melting point of 204° to 205° C.