Pirmenol (CI-845)(la) is an antiarrhythmic agent currently in clinical trials.'For the synthesis of one of the pirmenol metabolites 1 b, we were unsuccessful in using the Gabriel synthesis2 to make the primary amine functionality. When we added 2-pyridyllithium to phthalimide 2, no addition product was isolated. Alternative Gabriel reagents have been developed, but they too have potential drawbacks. They are either pho~ poramidate,~~ or derivatives that ...