A mixture of ethyl 2-(5-benzoyl-1,4-dimethylpyrrol-2-yl)-2-(2-fluoro-4-nitrophenyl)-acetate (6.0 g, 14.1 mmol) [prepared as in Example 1, Step (b)], nickel boride (8.0 g, 62.4 mmol), hydrochloric acid (50 ml, 1M) and methanol (150 ml) was heated at reflux for 1 h. The reaction mixture was cooled and filtered through Celite®. After removing the methanol in vacuo, the resulting aqueous mixture was made basic with ammonium hydroxide, and the product was extracted into ethyl acetate. The organic layer was washed with brine and dried over sodium sulfate. Evaporation of the organic layer gave ethyl 2-(5-benzoyl-1,4-dimethyl-pyrrol-2-yl)-2-(2-fluoro-4-aminophenyl)acetate (5.3 g, 95%). ##STR21##
