Step 1: Potassium iodide (530 mg, 3.14 mmol) was added to a mixed solution of 1-diphenylmethyl-3-methanesulfonic acid azetidine (500 mg, 1.57 mmol) in water (2.5 mL) and 1,2-dimethoxyethane (2.5 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature and then heated to reflux and stirred continuously for 3 hours. After the reaction was completed, it was cooled to room temperature and diluted with water (50 mL) and ethyl acetate (50 mL). The aqueous phase was separated and extracted with ethyl acetate (2 x 70 mL). The organic phases were combined, washed with saturated sodium chloride solution (40 mL), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate, filtered and concentrated to dryness to give 1-diphenylmethyl-3-iodoazetidine as a yellow solid (550 mg, 100% yield).LCMS (ESI-APCI) m/z 350.0 (M + H)+.
