The condensation of ethyl 3-(1-benzoyl-4-piperidyl)propionate (I) with ethyl 2-tert-butylquinoline-4-carboxylate (II) by means of NaH in refluxing THF gives 1-[4-(2-tert-butylquinolyl)]-3-(4-piperidyl)-1-propanone (III), which is then reduced with NaBH4 and NaOCH3 in methanol.