Methyl 4-(bromomethyl)-3-fluorobenzoate (0.285 g; 1.15 mmol) was suspended in a mixture of water (1 mL) and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (3 mL) and 3-fluorophenylboronic acid (0.183 g; 1.27 mmol), tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium(0) (0.067 g; 0.0058 mmol) and sodium carbonate (0.246 g; 2.31 mmol) were successively added. The resulting suspension was heated at 130° C. in a microwave oven for 20 minutes. The reaction mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate, and washed with water. The organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure and the residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel (eluent 1 to 12% of ethyl acetate in heptane) to give 0.199 g (66%) of methyl 3-fluoro-4-(3-fluorobenzyl)benzoate as an oily residue which was directly used in the next step.
