A 125 ml, pressure tube was charged with 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(4-fluorophenyl)ethanone (7.31 g, 38.1 mmol, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.), 1-(phenylsulfonyl)piperazine hydrochloride (5.00 g, 19.0 mmol), 20 mL of CH3CN, and triethylamine (7.96 mL, 57.1 mmol). The tube was sealed and heated at 110° C. for 3 h. After that time, the mixture was diluted with EtOAc (100 mL) and water (50 mL). The organics were separated, dried (MgSO4) and concentrated to give a white solid. This solid was slurried with hexane (150 mL) to give 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(4-(4-(phenylsulfonyl)-1-piperazinyl)phenyl)ethanone (3.85 g) as a bright white solid.
