(3-Formyl-4-methoxyphenyl)boronic acid (309 mg, 1.71 mmol), 4-bromothiazole (250 mg, 1.52 mmol, prepared as described by J. Trybulski and H. J. Brabander, U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,520, 1991), and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) (88 mg, 0.076 mmol) were added to a mixture of water (3.5 mL), ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (3.5 mL), and sodium carbonate (805 mg, 7.6 mmol). The mixture was heated in an oil bath at 80° C. for 3 h, allowed to cool to 25° C., and partioned between ethyl acetate (40 mL) and water (20 mL). The aqueous layer was extracted with 2×40 mL of dichioromethane and the combined organic layers dried (sodium sulfate), decanted, and evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column chromatography on silica gel, eluting with 10% ethyl acetate in hexane to give 182 mg (55% yield) of the title compound as a white solid. NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 10.51 (s, 1H), 8.88 (d, 1H, J=2 Hz), 8.32 (d, 1H, J=2 Hz), 8.24 (dd, 1H, J=9,2 Hz), 7.54 (d, 1H, J=2 Hz), 7.09 (d, 1H, J=9 Hz), 3.99 (s, 3H). Mass spectrum (NH3 /CI): 220 (M+1).
