In a sealed flask was added ethyl 3-(2-methylpyridin-4-yl)-1-trityl-1H-indazole-5-carboxylate (420 mg, 0.802 mmol), MeOH (6 ml), and sodium hydroxide (1N in water, 4 ml, 4.00 mmol). The resulting mixture was then heated for 60 min at a temperature of 80° C. with stirring. The mixture was then neutralized with HCl (2N in water), diluted with 10% isopropanol in chloroform, washed with water, dried with sodium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated to afford 3-(2-methylpyridin-4-yl)-1-trityl-1H-indazole-5-carboxylic acid (392 mg, 0.791 mmol) as a light yellow solid. The crude product was progressed to the next step without purification.
