Terephthaldehyde mono-diethyl acetal (I) was treated with hydroxylamine.HCl and Et3N to give the corresponding oxime (II). The nitrile oxide resulting from the treatment of oxime (II) with sodium hypochlorite was subjected to a dipolar cycloaddition with tert-butyl acrylate (III), yielding the isoxazoline (IV). Subsequent hydrolysis of acetal (IV) employing an acidic ion-exchange resin provided the intermediate isoxazoline aldehyde (V).
Heck reaction of 4,4'-dibromobenzil (VI) with tert-butyl acrylate (III) in the presence of palladium diacetate and tri(o-tolyl)phosphine afforded the arylacrylate ester (VII), which was subsequently condensed with the acrylamide (X) (prepared from acryloyl chloride (VIII) and hexadecylamine (IX)), to furnish adduct (XI). The condensation of diketone (XI) with aldehyde (V) in the presence of ammonium acetate in HOAc produced imidazole (XII). The tert-butyl ester groups of (XII) were finally cleaved by treatment with trifluoroacetic acid.