A mixture of cis 3-(1-benzenesulfonyl-5-nitro-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine-4-ylamino)cyclohexanecarbonitrile (730 mg, 1.72 mmol), ammonium chloride (552 mg, 10.3 mmol) and iron powder (384 mg, 6.88 mmol) in methanol/H2O (3:1, v/v) was heated at 85° C. for 3.5 hr. The cooled reaction mixture was filtered through celite and the filtrate concentrated under vacuum. The residue was dissolved in DCM, washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and brine, dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to a foam. The resulting residue was purified by column chromatography on silica gel (gradient: 0 to 4% MeOH in DCM) to afford 0.55 g (81%) of cis 3-(5-amino-1-benzenesulfonyl-1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine-4-ylamino)-cyclohexanecarbonitrile. LCMS (Method H, ESI): RT=2.45 min, m+H=396.1; 1H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO) δ: 8.01 (d, 2H), 7.66 (m, 1H), 7.57 (m, 3H), 7.49 (d, 1H), 6.75 (d, 1H), 5.14 (d, 1H), 4.36 (s, 2H), 3.72 (m, 1H), 2.98 (m, 1H), 2.22 (m, 1H), 2.01-1.84 (m, 2H), 1.75 (m, 1H), 1.53-1.36 (m, 3H), 1.22 (d, 1H).
