3,5-Difluorobenzonitrile (I) was treated with ethylmagnesium bromide to give propiophenone (II), which was subsequently brominated with dioxane dibromide yielding bromoketone (III). Condensation of (III) with (R)-2-amino-1-propanol (IV) in the presence of 2,6-lutidine produced the corresponding amino ketone, which spontaneously cyclized to the title cyclic hemiacetal form.