A flame-dried round-bottomed flask under N2 atmosphere was charged with 5-iodo-1,2,3-trimethoxybenzene (2.92 g, 9.93 mmol) and THF (31 mL) was added. The solution was cooled down to −78° C. and 1.5 M solution of t-BuLi in pentane (13.6 mL, 20.57 mmol) was added dropwise. The mixture was stirred for 1 h and transferred via canula to a precooled (−78° C.) solution of 6-nitroveratraldehyde (2.02 g, 9.57 mmol) in THF (12 mL) under N2 atmosphere. The resulting mixture was stirred for 2 h and slowly warmed up to 0° C., quenched with saturated aqueous solution of NH4Cl and allowed to warm-up to rt. Solvent was removed in vacuo and the residue was partitioned between water and DCM. Organic layer was collected and washed with brine, dried over Na2SO4 and concentrated in vacuo. The residue was purified by flash chromatography using EtOAc/DCM (9:91) affording the title compound 241 (1.46 g, 40% yield) 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ (ppm): 7.61 (s, 1H), 7.16 (s, 1H), 6.58 (s, 2H), 6.45 (s, 1H), 6.09 (s, 1H), 3.97 (s, 3H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 3.84 (s, 3H), 3.83 (s, 6H). m/z: 402.4 (MH+).
