To a suspension of 1-(4-hexyloxyphenyl)piperazine dihydrochloride (0.914 g) and potassium bicarbonate (0.564 g) in dimethylsulfoxide (5 ml) was added ethyl p-fluorobenzoate (0.2 ml) and stirred for 10 hours at 150° C. The reaction mixture was added to a mixture of water and ethyl acetate. The organic layer was taken and dried over magnesium sulfate. The magnesium sulfate was filtered off, and the filtrate was evaporated under reduced pressure to give ethyl 4-[4-(4-hexyloxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]benzoate (0.347 g).
