Under nitrogen, 500 mg of Pd(PPh3)4 was added to a stirred solution of 1.55 g (6.0 mmol) of [6-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl]boronic acid (Step 2) and 1.09 g (4.62 mmol) of 4-bromobenzenesulfonamide (Lancaster) in 30 mL of toluene, 20 mL of ethanol, and 15 mL of 2M Na2CO3. After vigorous stirring at reflux for 6 hours, the solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue dissolved in ethyl acetate. The resulting solution was washed with water and dried over Na2SO4. Purification by silica gel chromatography (MPLC) with ethyl acetate/hexane (3:7) gave 1.3 g (76%) of 4-[6-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl]benzenesulfonamide as a colorless solid: mp 191.0-192.5° C.; NMR (CDCl3) δ 4.80 (s, 2H), 6.06 (s, 2H), 6.83-6.92 (m, 4H), 6.97-7.06 (m, 2H), 7.20 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H), 7.74 (d, J=8.5 Hz, 2H). MS (FAB): m/e 372 (M+H). Anal. Calc'd for C19H14FNO4S: C, 61.45; H, 3.80; N, 3.77. Found: C, 61.48; H, 3.92; N, 3.68.
