tert-Butyl [1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)ethyl]carbamate (0.025 g, 0.11 mmol) was dissolved in acetonitrile (1.0 mL) with 5-chloro-2-fluorobenzonitrile (Aldrich, Cat. #548693) (0.034 g, 0.22 mmol) and cesium carbonate (0.073 g, 0.22 mmol) in a sealed tube. The reaction was heated to 100° C. for 2 h. and was complete. The reaction was taken up in ethyl acetate, filtered and concentrated under reduced pressure to give crude tert-butyl{1-[3-(4-chloro-2-cyanophenoxy)phenyl]ethyl}carbamate (0.040 g) as a clear oil. Analytical LCMS (M+H-Boc)+: m/z=272.9.
