A mixture of 1-(2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl)-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-piperazine (5.65 g; 0.018 m), triphenylphosphine (5.69 g, 0.022m) and pyrollidine (15 ml; 0.18 m) in dichloromethane (100 ml) was stirred at 0.5° C. and a solution of diethylazodicarboxylate (3.8 ml, 0.024 m) in dichloromethane (5 ml) was added over 5 minutes. The resulting yellow solution was stirred at ambient temperature for 48 hrs. The residue on evaporation was partitioned between ether and 3N aq. hydrochloric acid. The combined HCl layers were washed with ether and then basified with ammonia and shaken with 3 portions of ether. The ether layers were washed well with water and dried over magnesium sulfate to give an oil which was chromatographed to give 0.96 g of the title compound. The crude oil in ethanol was acidified with ethanolic hydrogen chloride. The solvent was evaporated, and the residual foam solidified when triturated with ethanol and ether. The solid was recrystallised from ethanol to give the title compound as the dihydrochloride (0.45 g), m.p. 214°-18° C(d).
