A mixture of 5-(3-hydroxypropyl)-3-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazole (242 mg, 1.53 mmol), 4-(5-difluoromethyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-2,6-dimethylphenol described in allowed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/869,287, incorporated herein by reference (400 mg, 1.67 mmol) , and DEAD (290 mg, 1.67 mmol) was dissolved in 16 mL of THF. To the above solution was added triphenylphosphine (438 mg, 1.67 mmol) at 0° C. and the mixture was allowed to warm to 20° C. overnight. The solvent was removed in vacuo, an aqueous sodium bicarbonate solution was added, and the mixture was extracted with methylene chloride (7×). The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by silica column chromatography (10 cm column, ethyl acetate/hexane, from 1/6 to 1/4) followed by recrystallization from ethyl acetate/hexane to afford 471 mg (81%) of 3-methyl-5-[3-[4-(5-difluoromethyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-2,6-dimethylphenoxy]propyl]-1,2,4-thiadiazole, as a white crystalline solid, m.p. 62°-64° C. 3-Methyl-5-[3-[4-(5-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-2,6-dimethylphenoxy]propyl]-1,2,4-thiadiazole (I, Thi=3-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazol-5-yl, Y=1,3-propylene, R1 =R2 =methyl, R3 =5-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)
