To a degassed solution of 4-[(4-iodophenyl)(3,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclohexylidene)methyl]phenol (144) (0.17 g, 0.38 mmol) in DMF (3 mL) were added Pd(PPh3)2Cl2 (27 mg, 0.04 mmol), CuI (8 mg, 0.04 mmol), N,N-diisopropylethylamine (0.30 mL, 1.71 mmol) and propargyl alcohol (45 μL, 0.76 mmol). The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight, poured into saturated aqueous NH4Cl (15 mL) and water (5 mL), extracted with EtOAc (3×50 mL). The combined organic phase was washed with water, brine, dried over Na2SO4, filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated to give the crude product as brown oil. The crude product was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column eluted with a gradient from hexanes to 30% EtOAc:hexanes to give 0.106 g (74%) of compound 145 as pale yellow solid. mp 141-142° C. 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6): δ 0.85 (s, 6H), 0.87 (s, 6H), 1.23 (s, 2H), 1.85 (s, 2H), 1.89 (s, 2H), 4.25 (d, J=5.9 Hz, 2H), 5.28 (t, J=5.9 Hz, 1H), 6.65 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 6.91 (d, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 7.10 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.31 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 9.29 (s, 1H). LCMS (ESI): m/z 375 (M+H)+, 373 (M−H)−. Anal. Calcd for C26H30O2.0.1H2O: C, 82.98; H, 8.09; Found: C, 82.88; H, 8.19.
