A solution of N-(3-bromo-5-nitrophenyl)acetamide of Example 1(c) (20 g, 77 mmol) in 1,2-dimethoxyethane (250 ml) was degassed by N2 bubbling for 5 min. 2,6-Difluorophenylboronic acid (14.6 g, 92.4 mmol, 1.2 eq.) was added and the mixture was degassed for another 5 min. Pd(dppf)Cl2 (6.28 g, 7.7 mmol, 0.1 eq.) and aqueous sodium carbonate (24.49 g, 231 mmol, 3.0 eq.) were added and the procedure of Example 1(d) was followed. The crude residue of the product was purified by column chromatography (60-120 silica gel, 30% ethyl acetate in hexane) to give the product in 94% yield (21.2 g). LC-MS (ESI): Calculated mass: 292.24; Observed mass: 293.1 [M+H]+ (rt: 1.49 min).
