To a suspension of lithium aluminum hydride (12.24 g) in a mixture of dry tetrahydrofuran (180 ml) and diethyl ether (360 ml) was dropwise added a solution of methyl 6-methyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)-2-phenyl-5-pyrimidinecarboxylate (45 g) in dry tetrahydrofuran (180 ml) under cooling at -50°~-40° C. The excess lithium aluminum hydride was decomposed by a careful addition to ice water. The separated organic layer was washed with 15% sulfuric acid (400 ml) and extracted with ethyl acetate (1 l). The organic layer was washed with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and aqueous sodium chloride successively and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was recrystallized from diethyl ether to give 5-hydroxymethyl-6-methyl-2-phenyl-4-(3-nitrophenyl)pyrimidine (30 g).
