5-Chloro-2-nitroaniline (6.902 g, 40 mmol) was used as a raw material and mixed with Zn(CN)2 (2.818 g, 24 mmol) and Pd(PPh3)4 (2.311 g, 2 mmol) in DMF (40 mL). The reaction mixture was heated to 120 °C for 4 days. After completion of the reaction, it was cooled to room temperature. The reaction mixture was partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The organic layer was separated, washed with brine, dried (MgSO4), filtered, and concentrated under vacuum. The residue was purified by fast column chromatography on silica gel using 4:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as eluent to give 1.49 g (23% yield) of 3-amino-4-nitrobenzonitrile.
