To a 100 mL 3N round-bottomed flask equipped with septum and N2 inlet were added 175 mg (0.509 mmol) N-benzyl-2-(4-bromobenzyl)-piperidine and 7 mL dry ether. The solution was cooled to −70° C., and 0.38 mL (0.610 mmol) of a 1.6 M solution of butyl lithium in hexane added dropwise over 1 minutes. The reaction was stirred at −70° C. for 5 min, then warmed to room temperature over 20 minutes. To the stirring reaction was then added a solution of 105 mg (0.610 mmol) 2-(2,5-dimethylpyrrolyl)-pyridine in 5 mL dry ether, and the reaction, turning dark orange, was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours then quenched with aqueous ammonium chloride solution. After extraction into ethyl acetate, the organic layer was washed with brine, dried over sodium sulfate for 16 hours to effect air-oxidation to the pyridine, and evaporated. The residue was chromatographed on silica gel using methanol/methylene chloride as eluant to afford 36 mg (16%) of an oil.
