5-Bromopyrimidine-2-carbonitrile is a pharmaceutical intermediate that can be obtained by reacting 5-bromo-2-chloropyrimidine with potassium nitride. It can also be obtained as follow: 5-Bromo-2-chloropyrimidine (7.51 g, 38.83 mmol), dissolved in DMSO (20 mL), is added to a mixture of NaCN (1.9 g, 38.83 mmol) and l,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octane (0.87 g, 7.77 mmol) in DMSO (10 mL) and water (20 mL). The mixture is stirred overnight, and then water (100 mL) is added. The mixture is extracted with ether (3x100 mL). The combined organic layer is dried (Na2SO4), filtered, and concentrated in vacuo to afford 5-Bromopyrimidine-2-carbonitrile as a solid.
