A mixture of 3046 g of methyl 8-(p-chlorophenylsulfonamido)-4-[3-(3-pyridyl)propyl]-octanoate, 10 l of acetonitrile and 6701 ml of 2M lithium hydroxide is stirred at room temperature overnight, and then diluted with 20 l of water. Acetic acid (1 l) is added to adjust pH to 5.5 and additional water (12 l) is added. The precipitated product is collected and resuspended in 50 l of water. The suspension is stirred, the precipitate is collected, washed with water and dried at 60°/3 mm Hg (=4.00 mbar) for 48 h. The product is recrystallized twice from ethyl acetate and once from acetonitrile to yield 8-(p-chlorophenylsulfonamido)-4-[3-(3-pyridyl)propyl]-octanoic acid, m.p. 116.5°-118°.
