Toluene → Methyl 3-amino-5-fluorobenzoate

3-bromo-5-fluorobenzoic acid (6.12 g, 33.1 mmol) was dissolved in MeOH (10 mL) and cooled in ice-water bath and toluene (50 mL) and then TMS-diazomethane (19.84 mL, 39.7 mmol) was added dropwise. Reaction mixture was allowed to return to room temperature for 1 h and concentrated in vacuo and the residue dissolved in DCM/Ether and filtered through a short plug of silica and the filtrate evaporated in vacuo to afford the desired product which was then dissolved in MeOH (60 mL) and Pd/C 10 wt % 3.3 g was added and the mixture evacuated and stirred under 1 atm of hydrogen overnight and LCMS indicated desired product next morning. The reaction mixture was filtered through Celite and the filtrate was concnetrated in vacuo and the residue azeotroped with toluene twice and taken to the next step as such (99%). LCMS (m/z): 211.1 (MH+), 0.55 min.