2,2,2-Tris(octadecyloxymethyl)ethanol (500 mg, 560 μmol) was dissolved in toluene (10 ml), triphenylphosphine (294 mg, 1.12 mmol), imidazole (76.2 mg, 1.12 mmol) and iodine (284 mg, 1.12 mmol) were added, and the mixture was stirred at 100° C. overnight. The reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature, toluene (10 ml) was added, and the mixture was partitioned and washed three times with water (5 ml). The organic layer was evaporated under reduced pressure, and the residue was precipitated with acetonitrile (10 ml) to give 1-[3-iodo-2,2-bis(octadecyloxymethyl)propoxy]octadecane (555 mg, 553 μmol, yield 98%).
