3-[4-(5-Ethyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-4-methyl-benzoic acid (prepared by hydrolysis of the methyl ester which was prepared by the method described in Example 2, using the 5-ethylpyrazole intermediate) (780 mg, 2.09 mmol), DPPA (0.52 mL, 2.4 mmol), and Et3N (0.37 mL, 2.7 mmol) were suspended in dry toluene (10 mL) under N2 and stirred for 1 h after which time a clear solution had formed. The reaction mixture was placed into a 100° C. pre-heated oil bath and stirred under N2 for 75 min. Then, benzyl alcohol (1 mL) was added and the reaction stirred at 110° C. for 6 h. The reaction was cooled, concentrated, and purified by chromatography (0 to 75% EtOAc in hexanes) to give the {3-[4-(5-ethyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-imidazol-1-yl]-4-methyl-phenyl}-carbamic acid benzyl ester as a white foam (695 mg, 70%).
