To a solution of 4-nitro-benzoyl chloride (1900 mg, 10.2 mmol) in nitrobenzene (6 mL) was added aluminum trichloride (1360 mg, 10.2 mmol) at 0° C. The mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred at room temperature for 1 h, cooled to 0° C., and 3′-chloro-6-fluoro-2-methoxy-biphenyl (2.01 g, 8.5 mmol) in nitrobenzene (1 mL) was added at 0° C. The reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred 24 h. The reaction mixture was cooled to −10° C. and quenched with ice-water (50 mL), extracted with ethyl acetate (2×25 mL), washed with water (2×10 mL), saturated aqueuos sodium bicarbonate (10 mL), brine (30 mL), and dried over Na2SO4. After filtration and removal of solvent, the crude was purified by crystallization from ether-hexane to give I-133 (3.00 g, 91% yield).
