2-Chloro-6-(trifluoromethyl)nicotinonitrile (3 g, 14.56 mmol) was dissolved in toluene (70 mL) and ethanol (14 mL). m-tolylboronic acid (2.969 g, 21.814 mmol), aqueous sodium carbonate solution (2 M, 14 mL) and Pd(PPh3)4 (1.684 g, 1.456 mmol) were added. The mixture was flushed with nitrogen and stirred under microwave conditions (7 bar) at 100° C. for 2 h. The concentrated reaction mixture was cooled, diluted with ethyl acetate (200 mL), passed through celite (cyclohexane/ethyl acetate 9:1, 2×1 L) and concentrated in vacuo to afford 2-m-tolyl-6-(trifluoromethyl)nicotinonitrile (1.87 g, 49%).
