The general procedure for the synthesis of 2-amino-3-fluorobenzonitrile from 2,3-difluorobenzonitrile was as follows: a mixture of 2,3-difluorobenzonitrile (19.0 g, 137 mmol), pre-saturated with ammonia, and ethanol (200 mL) was placed in an autoclave and heated for 8 hr at 140 °C (final pressure 200 psi). Upon completion of the reaction, the mixture was cooled to room temperature and evaporated to dryness. The residue was dissolved in water (400 mL) and extracted with ether (2 x 300 mL). The organic phases were combined, washed sequentially with water (300 mL) and brine (250 mL), and then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate. After drying, the solvent was filtered and evaporated. The resulting solid was ground with isohexane (150 mL) to give 2-amino-3-fluorobenzonitrile (9.8 g, 50% yield) as an off-white solid. Its 1H NMR (360 MHz, CDCl3) data were as follows: δ 4.47 (2H, s), 6.65-6.71 (1H, m), 7.14-7.20 (2H, m).
