Potassium Cyanide → 2,5-Dichlorobenzyl cyanide

A mixture of 2,5-dichlorobenzyl bromide (5.4 g, 22.5 mmol) in 16 mL of ethanol and potassium cyanide (1.63 g, 25 mmol) in 4 mL of water was heated at 80° C. overnight, then cooled, and the solids were filtered and washed with ethanol to give 3.5 g of 2,5-dichlorophenylacetonitrile as a white powder melting at 89-91° C. The nitrile was suspended in 20 red, of ethanol, and 20 mL of a 25% aqueous NaOH solution was added. The mixture was heated in a CEM Explore™ microwave reactor at 140° C. for 30 minutes, then cooled, poured into ice water and acidified to pH 1 with concentrated HCl to give a precipitate. The precipitate was filtered, washed with water and dried in a vacuum oven at 90° C. for 5 h to give the title compound as a white powder.