A solution of 5-cyclopropyl-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-[(methylsulfonyl)amino]-1-benzofuran-3-carboxylic acid (2.52 g, 6.47 mmol), HATU (2.95 g, 7.77 mmol) and triethylamine (1.984 mL, 14.24 mmol) in dry dichloromethane (100 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour, then treated with methylamine (16.18 mL, 32.4 mmol). The solution was stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 4 hours, during which time a precipitate formed. The reaction was diluted with dichloromethane (300 mL) and sodium bicarbonate solution (200 mL) and stirred for 10 minutes. The layers were separated and the aqueous layer extracted with further dichloromethane (150 mL). The combined organics were washed with brine (200 mL), dried using a hydrophobic frit and evaporated to dryness to give an off-white solid. The crude product was purified by flash chromatography (eluting with 0-100% ethyl acetate/cyclohexane followed by 10% methanol/dichloromethane) to give a white solid. The solid was dissolved in hot methanol-chloroform (10% v/v), preabsorped onto silica gel and purified by flash chromatography (0-10% methanol/dichloromethane) to give the 5-cyclopropyl-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-N-methyl-6-[(methylsulfonyl)amino]-1-benzofuran-3-carboxamide. 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 9.30 (br s, 1H) 8.42 (q, 1H) 7.88-7.98 (m, 2H) 7.60 (s, 1H) 7.37 (t, 2H) 7.16 (s, 1H) 3.06 (s, 3H) 2.83 (d, 3H) 2.23-2.36 (m, 1H) 0.93-1.05 (m, 2H) 0.65-0.74 (m, 2H). LCMS (m/z, ES+)=403 (M+H+).
