A mixture of 4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-2-(2-(2,4,6-trimethoxybenzylthio)phenyl)-1,3,2-dioxaborolane (1.2 g, 2.9 mmol), 3-lodophenol (0.65 g, 2.9 mmol), Ag2CO3 (0.82 g, 2.9 mmol) and Pd(PPh3)4 (0.16 g, 0.15 mmol) in 6 ml of THF was refluxed in the dark for 12 h. The reaction mixture was poured into H2O and the resulting mixture extracted with ether. The organic layer was washed with brine (3×20 ml) and dried over MgSO4 and concentrated. The residue was purified by silica flash chromatography (40/60, ethylacetate/hexane) to afford 2′-(2,4,6-trimethoxybenzylthio)biphenyl-3-ol.
