Step 1: Synthesis of 4-bromo-1-(dimethoxymethyl)-2-fluorobenzene
4-Bromo-2-fluorobenzaldehyde (5 g, 24.6 mmol) was dissolved in 2 M methanol hydrochloric acid solution (100 mL) and stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, the reaction solution was concentrated and dried under reduced pressure to afford the title compound 4-bromo-1-(dimethoxymethyl)-2-fluorobenzene (6.1 g, 99% yield). The product was characterized by 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3): δ 7.52-7.39 (m, 1H), 7.33-7.27 (m, 1H), 7.27-7.20 (m, 1H), 5.54 (s, 1H), 3.36 (s, 6H).
