To a suspension of 2-bromo-5-iodopyridine (1.0 g, 3.52 mmol), 4,4-dimethyl-imidazolidin-2-one (CAS 24572-33-6) (400 mg, 3.52 mmol, 1.0 equiv.), cesium carbonate (1.72 g, 5.28 mmol, 1.5 equiv.), and 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene (xantphos) (82 mg, 0.141 mmol, 0.04 equiv.) in 10 ml of toluene was added under argon atmosphere tris(dibenzylideneacetone)dipalladium(0) chloroform adduct (Pd2 (dba)3*CHCl3) (73 mg, 0.07 mmol, 0.02 equiv.). The mixture was stirred for 1 hour at 100° C. The mixture was directly loaded on a 50 g silicagel column and was eluted with an heptan:ethyl acetate gradient 100:0 to 0:100 and an ethyl acetate:methanol gradient 100:0 to 80:20. The desired 1-(6-bromo-pyridin-3-yl)-4,4-dimethyl-imidazolidin-2-one (810 mg, 85% yield) was obtained as a light yellow solid, MS: m/e=207.1/272.1 (M+H+).
