Palladium-catalyzed coupling of 4-bromobenzaldehyde (I) with methyl acrylate (II) furnished methyl 4-formylcinnamate (III). After aldehyde protection as the ethylene acetal (IV), ester group reduction using DIBAL in cold CH2Cl2 gave rise to the cinnamyl alcohol (V). O-Alkylation of (V) with ethyl iodide in the presence of NaH produced the corresponding ethyl ether (VI). The acetal protecting group of (VI) was then hydrolyzed with HCl to yield aldehyde (VII).
Treatment of 4,4'-difluorobenzyl (VIII) with isopropylamine and K2CO3 in hot DMSO produced 4,4'-bis(isopropylamino)benzyl (IX). This was then condensed with the intermediate aldehyde (VII) in the presence of ammonium acetate in HOAc to produce the target triaryl imidazole.