A mixture of 2,6-dimethylphenylboronic acid (6.5 g, 43.5 mmol), 2-chloro-4-methyl-5-nitro-pyridine (5 g, 28.9 mmol), Pd(PPh3)4, (1.5 g, 1.5 mmol), Na2CO3 (4.6 g, 43.5 mmol), toluene (60 mL), water (20 mL), and EtOH (5 mL) is heated in a sealed tube under nitrogen at 110° C. for 18 hours. The mixture is cooled to room temperature, diluted with EtOAc (150 mL), washed with saturated solution of Na2CO3 (50 mL 3×), water (50 mL) and brine (50 mL), dried (Na2SO4), and concentrated under reduced pressure. The residue is purified by chromatography on silica gel (Hexane/EtOAc, 6:1) to afford 2-(2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-4-methyl-5-nitro-pyridine as a colorless oil.
