 Selective reduction of one of the imide carbonyl groups in essence converts that to an aldehyde.Condensation with "tert"-butyl(triphenylphosphoranylidene)acetate gives the Wittig product.The carboxylic acid is then treated with diethyl cyanophosphonate to convert that to an activated acid cyanide; reaction with 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4.5]decane results in formation of the corresponding amide, pazinaclone.