To a suspension of 2-{[3-({[3-(1-cyano-1-methylethyl)phenyl]carbonyl}amino)phenyl]amino}-5-nitropyrimidin-4-yl thiocyanate (844 mg, 1.84 mmol) and reduced iron (513 mg, 9.20 mmol) in ethanol (16 mL)/1-methylpyrrolidin-2-one (8 mL) was added 1N hydrochloric acid (4 mL), and the mixture was stirred at 100° C. for 1.5 hr. The reaction mixture was neutralized with 2N aqueous sodium hydroxide solution (3 mL), and the insoluble material was filtered off. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. To the obtained residue was added saturated aqueous sodium hydrogen carbonate solution (50 mL), and the mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate (50 mL, 2×20 mL). The combined organic layer was washed with saturated brine (10 mL), and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The insoluble material was filtered off, and the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure. The obtained residue was purified by silica gel column chromatography (hexane/ethyl acetate=40/60→20/80), and the fractions containing the object product were concentrated under reduced pressure. The obtained residue was recrystallized from ethyl acetate and hexane to give the title compound (477 mg, 60%) as pale-purple crystals.
