To a solution of 4-bromobenzaldehyde (3.06 g, 16.5 mmol) in toluene (60 ml) was added 5-fluoro-2-methoxyphenyl boronic acid (3.10 g, 18.2 mmol), 2M sodium carbonate solution (16.5 ml) and tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium (0) (1 g, 0.86 mmol). The solution was refluxed for 48 h then cooled to ambient temperature, washed with water, brine and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. Evaporation of solvent gave a residue that was flash chromatographed over silica gel eluting with 1:1 ethyl acetate/heptane. Evaporation of solvent gave 5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-carbaldehyde (2.63 g) as a crystalline solid. To a solution of 5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-carbaldehyde (1.5 g, 6.9 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (20 ml) was added titanium tetraisopropoxide (10 ml) and (±)-tert-butyl sulfinamine. The solution was stirred for 48 h then poured into brine and dichloromethane added with stirring. The organic layer was separated, dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and the solvent evaporated. Heptane was added to the oil which induced crystallisation and gave 2-methyl-propane sulfinic acid 5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-ylmethylene amide (1.85 g) as a white solid. To a solution of 2-methyl-propane sulfinic acid 5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-ylmethylene amide (1 g, 3 mmol) and tetrabutyl ammonium difluorotriphenylsilica gelte (1.8 g, 3.3 mmol) in tetrahydrofuran (50 ml) at −55° C. was added trifluoromethyltrimethylsilane with stirring. The reaction mixture was kept below −40° C. for 3 h then warmed to −10° C. for 1 h. The reaction mixture was cooled to −30° C. then quenched with saturated ammonium chloride solution and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic phase was dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, evaporated to a low volume and heptane added. The crystalline 2-methyl-propane sulfinic acid [2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-yl)-ethyl]-amide (0.75 g) was collected by filtration. To a solution of 2-methyl-propane sulfinic acid [2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-yl)-ethyl]-amide (0.73 g, 1.8 mmol) in methanol (10 ml) at room temperature was added a 1M solution of Hydrogen chloride in ether with stirring. The reaction mixture was stirred for 2 h, then the solvent was evaporated and ether added. The crystalline 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-yl)-ethylamine hydrochloride (0.38 g) was collected by filtration. To a solution of 2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(5′-fluoro-2′-methoxy-biphenyl-4-yl)-ethylamine hyrochloride (60 mg, 0.15 mmol) in pyridine (3 ml) was added 2-trifluoromethoxyphenyl sulfonyl chloride with stirring. The reaction was stirred for 3 days at 100° C. then cooled to room temperature and 5M Hydrogen chloride and dichloromethane added. The organic layer was separated and the solvent evaporated. The residue was flash chromatographed over silica gel eluting with 1:1 heptane/dichloromethane and the solvent evaporated to give the title compound (29 mg). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): 7.58-7.41 (m, 4H), 7.27-7.11 (m, 3H), 7.04-6.90 (m, 3H), 5.51 (d, 1H), 5.00 (app quin, 1H), 3.78 (s, 3H) ppm; MS (ESI) m/z: 546 [M+Na]+.
