To a mixture of 6-chloro-5-(4-chloro-phenyl)-N-((1R,2R)-2-hydroxy-cyclohexyl)-nicotinamide (450 mg), 52 mg bistriphenylphosphinpalladium dichloride, 14 mg copperiodide, 146 mg triphenylphosphine and methyl propargyl ether (0.12 mL) in 10 mL DMF is added diethylamine (1.9 L). The mixture is heated in the microwave oven for 40 min at 120° C. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and partitioned between 1 N hydrochloric acid and ethyl acetate. The organic phase was purified by gradient chromatography on silica gel with heptane:ethyl acetate to yield 0.13 g of the title compound as a light yellow solid, MS (ISP) 399.1 (M+H)−.
