Patent ID: 8258334

Claim:
A method of preparing a compound of Formula (I): wherein: Z 1 can be present or absent and when present is —[C(R 4 ) 2 ] m —; m is an integer from 1 to 4; each X is —CHR 5 —[C(R 6 ) 2 ] n —; each n is independently an integer from 0 to 4; R 1 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, and substituted aryl; each R 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, and substituted aryl; each R 3 and each R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, and substituted aryl, or wherein one R 3 and one R 4 are together alkylene, substituted alkylene, aralkylene, or substituted aralkylene, or wherein two R 4 are together alkylene, substituted alkylene, aralkylene, or substituted aralkylene; each R 5 is selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, and substituted aryl; and each R 6 is independently selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl, aralkyl, aralkoxy, aryloxy, aryl, and substituted aryl; wherein the method comprises: providing a cyclic amidine compound, wherein the cyclic amidine compound is a cyclic amidine wherein the amidine nitrogen atoms are linked via an alkylene or aralkylene group; and contacting the cyclic amidine compound with an ester of a haloalkanoic acid in the presence of a base.