A mixture of (4-Bromo-phenyl)-(4-chloro-phenyl)-methanol (2.3 g, 7.73 mmol), N-(2-hydroxyethyl)phthalimide (1.4 g, 7.36 mmol) and para-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate (560 mg, 2.94 mmol) in toluene (50 ml) was heated to reflux under Dean-Stark conditions for 17 hours. Upon cooling, the solvent was removed and the residue was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was then dried (MgSO4), filtered and concentrated. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (SiO2), eluting with ethyl acetate/petroleum ether (1:4), to yield the title compound (1.95 g). LC/MS: (PS-B3) Rt 4.07 no observable mass ion.
