Sodium methoxide (90 mg, 1.67 mmol) was added to 1 M solution of lithium aluminum hydride in tetrahydrofuran (33 mL, 33 mmol) under argon. The mixture was cooled to 0° C. and a solution of the above alcohol (6.7 g, 33.5 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (25 mL) was added over 10 min. The reaction was stirred at 0° C. for 3 h; dry ethyl acetate (10 mL, 103 mmol) was added and the whole mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 15 min. A degassed solution of 1,4-diiodobenzene (13.25 g, 40.1 mmol) in dry tetrahydrofuran (25 mL), anhydrous zinc chloride (2.73 g, 20.0 mmol), tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium chloroform complex (0.692 g, 0.66 mmol), and tri(2-furyl)phosphine (0.854 g, 3.6 mmol) were added; the mixture was degassed and then was heated at 60° C. for 15 h under argon. The suspension was cooled down; methanol (16 mL) was added and the mixture was stirred for additional 1 h. The reaction was diluted with ether (350 mL) and saturated aqueous solution of ammonium chloride (9 mL) was added. The mixture was filtered through a paddle of silica gel and the paddle was thoroughly washed with ether (100 mL). The solvents were evaporated in vacuo and the residue was purified by flash column chromatography (silica gel Fluka 60, hexanes/ethyl acetate 5:1) affording (E)-3-(4-iodophenyl)-3-(3-trifluoromethylphenyl)prop-2-en-1-ol as solidifying oil.
