step 3—A sealed tube containing 94 (0.290 g, 0.67 mmol), 2-benzyloxy-3-pyridine boronic acid (0.184 g, 0.80 mmol, 141), Pd(PPh3)4 (0.220 g, 0.07 mmol) and Na2CO3 (0.609 g, 2.01 mmol) in MeOH (9 mL) and DCM (3 mL) was irradiated in a microwave reactor at 125° C. for 30 min. The organic volatiles were removed under reduced pressure. The residue was partitioned between DCM and water then the aqueous layer was further extracted with DCM. The combined extracts were washed with brine, dried (Na2SO4), filtered and concentrated. The crude residue was purified by SiO2 chromatography eluting with 20% EtOAc/hexanes to afford 0.230 g (64%) of N-{4-[3-(2-benzyloxy-pyridin-3-yl)-5-tert-butyl-2-cyano-phenylethynyl]phenyl}-methanesulfonamide (96) as a light brown solid.
