A mixture of 86 mg (0.4 mmol) of 4,4,7-trimethyl-6-ethynylthiochroman, 85 mg (0.46 mmol) of ethyl 6-chloronicotinate and 0.8 ml of triethylamine was degassed under nitrogen and then treated with a mixture of 10 mg (0.05 mmol) of cuprous iodide and 20 mg (0.03 mmol) of bis(triphenylphosphine) palladium (II) chloride. The reaction mixture was heated at 55° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere for 18 hours. The mixture was then extracted with 1.5 ml of 40% ethyl acetate in hexanes and purified by flash chromatography (silica; 10% ethyl acetate in hexanes) to give the title compound as a yellow solid.
