John Tomlin

By REV. JOHN TOMLIN, Special to The Paper Not many preachers own a Corvette. To put my inherited 1961 red convertible to good use, I began hosting a car show prayer booth last year. I chat cars for a bit with folks and then I ask what we can pray for. When you talk to the show car owners, you discover a hidden truth. After complimenting a beautiful vehicle, they respond with a “Thanks, but…” and tell you about what needs to be fixed next.

A low-cost, protecting group-free route to 6-(2-fluoro-4-nitrophenyl)-2-oxa-6-azaspiro[3.3]heptane (1), the starting material for the in-development tuberculosis treatment TBI-223, is described. The key bond forming step in this route is the creation of the azetidine ring through a hydroxide-facilitated alkylation of 2-fluoro-4-nitroaniline (2) with 3,3-bis(bromomethyl)oxetane (BBMO, 3).