(cis-4-Amino-cyclohexyl)-methanol (73 mg, 0.56 mmol) and triethylamine (225 μl, 1.61 mmol) were dissolved in dimethylformamide (225 μl) and a solution of 5-fluoro-2-(3-methylsulfanyl-phenoxy)-nicotinic acid (150 mg, 0.54 mmol), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (113 mg, 0.59 mmol) and 1-hydroxybenzotriazole (80 mg, 0.59 mmol) in dimethylformamide (5 ml) was added. The reaction was stirred under nitrogen at room temperature for 64 h and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned between 0.5N HCl (10 ml) and ethyl acetate (10 ml) and the aqueous phase was extracted with ethyl acetate (2×10 ml). The combined organic phases were washed with brine (10 ml), dried over MgSO4 and the solvent was removed under reduced pressure. The residue was purified by flash column chromatography on silica gel eluting with dichloromethane:methanol:concentrated aqueous ammonia (98.7:1.3:0.13, by volume). The product was triturated with ethyl acetate (3 ml) to give 5-fluoro-N-(cis-4-hydroxymethyl-cyclohexyl)-2-(3-methylsulfanyl-phenoxy)-nicotinamide (111 mg) as a white solid.
