Synthesis
The general procedure for the synthesis of 2-cyano-5-chloropyrimidine from sodium cyanide and 2-methylsulfonyl-5-chloropyrimidine was as follows: a solution of 5-chloro-2-(methylsulfonyl)pyrimidine (3.5 g, 18.1 mmol) in dimethylsulfoxide (10 mL) was batch-treated with sodium cyanide (0.9 g, 18.4 mmol) at 10 °C for 10 min. The reaction mixture was continued to be stirred for 10 minutes before being diluted with cold water (30 mL) and filtered. The resulting solid was washed with cold water (3 x 30 mL) and dried to give 2-cyano-5-chloropyrimidine (2.05 g, 81% yield) as a light yellow solid.ESI-MS: 139 (MH+).
References
[1] Patent: US2007/270438, 2007, A1. Location in patent: Page/Page column 34
[2] Synthetic Communications, 2002, vol. 32, # 1, p. 153 - 157
