A suspension of 14 (0.20 g, 0.47 mmol) in cooled (0° C.) dioxane (5 mL) was saturated with HCl, allowed to warm to r.t. over 1 h and evaporated. (E)-4-[2-(Dimethylamino)ethoxy]cinnamic acid hydrochloride (0.13 g, 0.47 mmol) [Atwell et al., J. Med. Chem., 1999, 42, 3400], EDCI (0.27 g, 1.42 mmol) and DMA (3 mL) were added to the remaining yellow solid, and the red mixture was stirred at r.t. for 30 h. The mixture was partitioned between CH2Cl2 and 5% NaHCO3 solution. The aqueous layer was extracted with CH2Cl2 (×3). The CH2Cl2 extracts were dried (brine, Na2SO4). Flash chromatography (Alumina, EtOAc/MeOH; 49:1, then 24:1) gave 2-(4-{(1E)-3-[5-(benzyloxy)-1-(chloromethyl)-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[3,2-f]quinolin-3-yl]-3-oxo-1-propenyl}phenoxy)-N,N-dimethylethanamine (17c) (0.18 g, 70%) as a yellow solid: mp 172–175° C.; 1H NMR [(CD3)2SO]δ 8.76 (dd, J=4.1, 1.4, 1 H), 8.47 (bs, 1 H), 8.35 (dd, J=8.5, 1.4, 1 H), 7.76 (d, J=8.7, 2 H), 7.67 (d, J=15.3, 1 H), 7.58 (d, J=7.3, 2 H), 7.54 (dd, J=8.5, 4.1, 1 H), 7.44 (t, J=7.2, 2 H), 7.37 (t, J=7.2, 1 H), 7.08 (d, J=15.3, 1 H), 7.02 (d, J=8.7, 2 H), 5.31 (s, 2 H), 4.55 (dd, J=10.7, 9.5, 1 H), 4.44 (dd, J=10.9, 2.5, 1 H), 4.30 (m, 1 H), 4.11 (t, J=5.8, 2 H), 3.99 (dd, J=11.0, 3.0, 1 H), 3.91 (dd, J=11.2, 7.2, 1 H), 2.64 (t, J=5.7, 2 H), 2.23 (s, 6 H); 13C NMR [(CD3)2SO]δ 164.1, 160.1, 154.6, 147.1, 142.6, 142.2, 137.2, 136.7, 131.1, 130.1, 128.3, 127.83, 127 78, 127.3, 125.1, 122.3, 116.9, 115.7, 114.7, 101.6, 70.0, 65.9, 57.5, 52.9, 47.8, 45.4, 40.1.
