Ammonia → 2-Amino-3-fluorobenzonitrile

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

A mixture of 2,3-difluorobenzonitrile (19.0 g, 137 mmol) and ethanol (200 ml) pre-saturated with ammonia gas was heated at 140° C. in an autoclave for 8 h (terminal pressure 200 psi). The mixture was allowed to cool to ambient temperature and evaporated to dryness. The residue was dissolved in water (400 ml) and extracted with diethyl ether (2×300 ml). The combined organics were washed with water (300 ml) and brine (250 ml), dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate, filtered and evaporated. Trituration with isohexane (150 ml) afforded 2-amino-3-fluorobenzonitrile (9.8 g, 50%) as an off-white solid: 1H NMR (360 MHz, CDCl3) δ 4.47 (2H, s), 6.65-6.71 (1H, m), 7.14-7.20 (2H, m).

Provenance & Evidence