A mixture of 2-(2,4,6-trifluorobenzyl)-7-(trifluoromethyl)-3-{3-[(trimethylsilyl)-ethynyl]phenyl}-2H-indazole (1.78 g, 3.54 mmol) and potassium carbonate (0.49 g, 3.54 mmol) in 50 mL of methanol was heated at 50° C. for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was concentrated in vacuo and the residue partitioned between ethyl acetate and H2O. The organic phase was dried (Na2SO4) and concentrated in vacuo to give 1.4 g of a white solid, which was purified by flash chromatography (silica gel 60, hexane-ethyl acetate, 4:1) to give 1.1 g of the title compound.
