To a suspension of N,N,2-trimethyl-4-[(phenylmethyl)oxy]-1H-benzimidazole-6-carboxamide (928 mg, 3.0 mmol, STEP 5) in N,N-dimethylformamide (20 mL) was added sodium hydride (60% in mineral oil, 180 mg, 4.50 mmol) at 0° C. After stirring at room temperature for 30 minutes, the reaction mixture was cooled to 0° C. To the mixture was added 4-methylbenzenesulfonyl chloride (572 mg, 3.00 mmol) at 0° C., and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. The mixture was poured into water, and the aqueous layer was extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layers were combined, washed with water, dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuum. The residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel (gradient elution from dichloromethane only to ethyl acetate only) to afford the title compound as a white solid (1.00 g, 72%).
