To a solution of 5-cyano-5-(diethoxy-phosphoryl)-4-(tetrahydro-pyran-4-yl)-pentanoic acid (2.68 g, 7.7 mmol) in THF (300 mL), sodium hydride (60%, 1.24 g) was added portionwise at room temperature. 2-Nitro-5-phenoxy-benzaldehyde (1.9 g, 7.7 mmol) was then added, and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight. Ethyl acetate was added to the reaction mixture, and the resulting solution washed with saturated aqueous NH4Cl solution. The organic phase was separated, dried with MgSO4, and filtered. The filtrate was evaporated in vacuo to yield an oil which was triturated with heptane to yield the title compound as a solid.
