Treatment of azabicyclo[3.2.1]octene derivative (I) with lithiated compound (II) in THF followed by quenching with trifluoroacetic acid yields tropane (III), whose oxadiazole group is converted into a methyl ester by treatment with nickel boride (Ni2B) and HCl in refluxing methanol to provide the 2-beta,3-alpha stereoisomer (IV). Finally, the desired nortropane compound is obtained by refluxing tropane (IV) with alpha-chloroethyl chloroformate (ACE-Cl) in dichloromethane followed by solvolysis with methanol.