A 200 mL round bottom flask was charged with (+)-(4aR)-(10bR)-4-methyl-8-mercapto-10b-methyl-1,2,3,4,4a,-5,6,10b-octahydrobenzo[f]quinolin-3-one (1.36g, 5.20 mmol), potassium carbonate (2.16 g, 15.6 mmol), 2-chloro-4-ethyl-benzothiazole (1.23 g, 6.20 mmol) and 14 mL of anhydrous dimethylformamide, fitted with a reflux condenser, and the stirred mixture was heated at 60°, under nitrogen, for 18 h. The mixture was cooled, diluted with ethyl acetate (750 mL) and washed with brine (6×250 mL). The combined organic extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, concentrated, and purified by silica gel chromatography (80% ethyl acetate/hexanes eluent) to give 1.51 g (69%) of the title compound as an amorphous foam. FDMS: m/e=422. α[D]589 =+62.74 (c=0.67, chloroform).
