3-(5-Fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-3-methyl-1-morpholin-4-ylbutan-1-one → 5-(5-Fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-2,5-dimethylhexan-3-one

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Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A solution of 3-(5-fluoro-2-methylphenyl)-3-methyl-1-morpholin-4-ylbutan-1-one (200 mg, 0.716 mmol) in 2 mL of THF was treated with i-PrLi (0.7 M in pentane, 1.28 mL) at −78° C. The reaction mixture was stirred at −78° C. for 1 hour, allowed to warm to room temperature, quenched with 1 mL of methanol and 5 mL of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution, and extracted with three 50 mL portions of ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. Chromatography on SiO2 (100% hexanes to 25% ethyl acetate in hexanes, gradient) afforded 80.4 mg of the title product (48% yield).

Provenance & Evidence