1. Anhydrous aluminum trichloride (AlCl3, 16.89 g, 126.7 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (DCM, 130 mL) and acetyl chloride (AcCl, 9 mL, 126.7 mmol) was added slowly at 0 °C.
2. The reaction mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 1 hour.
3. In another vessel, (4-bromo-2,6-difluorophenyl)trimethylsilane (27.48 g, 105.59 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane (DCM, 70 mL).
4. The solution from Step 3 was slowly added to the reaction mixture from Step 2 at -80 °C.
5. The reaction mixture was stirred at -80 °C for 16 hours.
6. Upon completion of the reaction, the reaction was quenched with aqueous ammonium chloride at 0 °C and extracted with ether (Et2O).
7. The organic layers were combined and dried with anhydrous magnesium sulfate.
8. The crude product was purified by column chromatography (eluent: ethyl acetate/hexane = 1/10) to afford 1-(4-bromo-2,6-difluorophenyl)ethanone (19.89 g, 74% yield). 9. The structure of the product was investigated by 1H-1H-1 , 1H-2,6-difluorophenylacetonitrile.
9. The structure of the product was confirmed by 1H-NMR (CDCl3, δ): 7.16 (2H, m), 2.58 (3H, s).
