Improved synthesis of 2,2′-bipyrimidine

A high-yield synthesis was developed for the preparation of 2,2'-bipyrimidine (1) using the Ullmann coupling of 2-iodopyrimidine. The new procedure was also used for the preparation of 4,4',6,6'-tetramethyl-2,2'-bipyrimidine (2) and 5,5'-dibromo-2,2'-bipyrimidine (3).