A sealed tube containing 4-[(4-bromophenyl)(3,3,5,5-tetramethylcyclohexylidene)methyl]phenol (14) (0.30 g, 0.75 mmol), (2-methoxycarbonylphenyl)boronic acid (0.29 g, 1.50 mmol), Pd(PPh3)4 (87 mg, 0.08 mmol), 2 M Na2CO3 (4 mL) and DME (4 mL) was heated at 160° C. for 25 minutes. Cooled to room temperature, the mixture was extracted with EtOAc. The EtOAc extracts were combined and washed with water, brine, dried over Na2SO4, filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated to give the crude product as dark brown oil. The crude product was purified by chromatography on a silica gel column eluted with a gradient from hexanes to 20% EtOAc in hexanes to give 0.23 g (68%) of the title compound (248) as off-white solid. mp 177-178° C. 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 0.96 (s, 6H), 0.97 (s, 6H), 1.32 (s, 2H), 2.03 (s, 4H), 3.57 (s, 3H), 4.60 (s, 1H), 6.78 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.10 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.15-7.25 (m, 4H), 7.36-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.48-7.56 (m, 1H), 7.76-7.82 (m, 1H). LCMS (ESI): m/z 455 (M+H)+, 453 (M−H)−.
