To a solution of ethyl (2E)-3-(6-chloro-3-pyridyl)acrylate (14.3 g) in dioxane (140 mL) was added palladium(II) acetate (1.52 g), 2′-(dicyclohexylphosphino)-N,N-dimethyl-2-diphenylamine (3.99 g), cesium carbonate (30.2 g), and (3R)-(−)-1-benzyl-3-aminopyrrolidine (13.1 g), and the mixture was heated at 95° C. for 2.5 days. The resulting mixture was poured into sat.NH4Cl aqueous solution and extracted with AcOEt. The organic layer was washed with sat. NH4Cl aq solution, water, and brine, and dried over Na2SO4. The solvent was removed in vacuo and residual brown oil was purified by silica gel column chromatography eluted with AcOEt to give ethyl (2E)-3-(6-{[(3R)-1-benzyl-3-pyrrolidinyl]amino}-3-pyridyl)acrylate as pale yellow oil (10.7 g).
