Triethyl amine (40.4 mL, 0.290 mol) and N,N-bis(4-methoxybenzyl)amine (62.0 g, 242 mmol) were sequentially added to a solution of [4-(2-methylpropyl)amino-3-nitroquinolin-2-yl]trifluoromethanesulfonate (Nikolaides et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,937, Example 1, 95.0 g, 242 mmol) in toluene (300 mL) at ambient temperature. The solution was stirred at ambient temperature for a few minutes, heated at reflux for two hours, and allowed to cool to ambient temperature. Ethyl acetate and saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate (300 mL) were added. The organic layer was separated and washed twice with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate. The combined aqueous fractions were filtered to remove a solid, and the filtrate was extracted with ethyl acetate (3×150 mL). The combined extracts were washed once with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate. All organic fractions were then combined and dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered through a layer of CELITE filter agent, concentrated under reduced pressure, and further dried under high vacuum for three days to provide N2,N2-bis(4-methoxybenzyl)-N4-(2-methylpropyl)-3-nitroquinoline-2,4-diamine as a red oil, which was used without purification.
