To a stirred mixture or isoquinolin-6-ylboronic acid (83 mg, 0.33 mmol) (prepared as described in US Patent Publication No. US 2007/0173506), 2-bromo-5-(methylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazole (82 mg, 0.39 mmol) (prepared as described in WO 97/30981) and Pd(PPh3)4 (19 mg, 0.016 mmol) was added dimethoxyethane (5.0 mL) and sodium carbonate (0.41 mM, 2.0 M aq, 0.82 mmol). The mixture was heated at 90° C. under a reflux condenser overnight. After cooling, the mixture was filtered through a short path of Celite and washed with EtOAc (3×10 mL). The combined organic layers were evaporated and purified by flash column chromatography (eluting with a gradient of 1:1 EtOAc in hexanes to pure EtOAc) to provide 6-(5-(methylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)isoquinoline (80 mg, 95%) as a pale yellow solid. LCMS (M+H) 260.4 calc. for C12H10N3S2 260.0. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ ppm 9.33 (d, J=1.17 Hz, 1H) 8.62 (s, 1H) 8.31 (s, 1H) 8.23 (d, J=8.80 Hz, 1H) 8.11 (d, J=8.80 Hz, 1H) 7.74-7.83 (m, 1H) 2.88 (s, 3H).
