In a schlenck tube, a mixture of 5-bromo-2-(3-methoxyphenyl)pyridine (Intermediate 27, 0.91 mmol, 0.23 g), ethyl 2-aminobenzoate (Intermediate 33, 0.91 mmol, 0.15 g), BINAP (0.05 mmol, 0.028 g), Pd2(dba)3 (0.05 mmol, 0.042 g) and NaOtBu (1.82 mmol, 0.175 g) in toluene (4 ml) was heated at 110° C. for 12 hours, under argon atmosphere. The solvent was evaporated and the solid residue was triturated with aqueous solution of 2N HCl and extracted with CHCl3. The crude mixture was purified by flash chromatography over SiO2 eluting with mixtures of hexane/ethyl acetate affording 0.078 g (yield 26%) of the expected compound.
