“…Rotary evaporation and chromatography (EtOAc/hexanes 3:1) gave dinitrile 5 (2.1 g, 87%), a mixture of E and Z isomers, as a clear amber oil: R f 0Propanol (5 mL), Mg (16.3 mg, 0.7 mmol) and I 2 (two small crystals) were heated to reflux for 24 h under N 2 . The suspension was cooled to 208C and dipropylmaleonitrile 6 (140.7 mg, 0.87 mmol) followed by dinitrile 5 (103.7 mg, 0.13 mmol) were added and the mixture further heated to reflux under N 2 for 60 h. The deep blue suspension was allowed to cool, filtered (Celite), and the solids washed with CH2 Cl 2 . Rotary evaporation and chromatography (hexanes/EtOAc 7:3; EtOAc) gave the Mg-pz 7 (56.2 mg, 34%) as a blue solid: R f 0.7 (EtOAc); UV -vis (CH 2 Cl 2 ) l max 239, 345, 612 nm; MS (FAB) m/z 1320 [M þz ]; HRMS (FAB) calcd for C 74 H 107 MgN 10 O 10 : [MþH] þ , 1319.8022; found: [MþH] þ , 1319.7967.…”