2-Bromo-4-fluorobenzonitrile (CAS number 36282-26-5) has a bromide and a fluoride substituents on benzonitrile at ortho- and para-position, respectively. With three different functional groups, 2-bromo-4-fluorobenzonitrile is commonly used as a molecular scaffold for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The bromo-substituent can undergo Pd catalyzed C-C coupling, while the fluoride is an ideal leaving group for nucleophilic aromatic substitution. The nitrile group not only acts as the activator for the nucleophilic substitution, but also can react with hydroxylamine to form oxadiazoles. The oxadiazole derivatives are type 2 cannabinoid receptors used for treatments of central nervous system disorders.
2-Bromo-4-fluorobenzonitrile is also used to introduce reactive functional groups to molecular scaffolds and as a substrate with multiple functional groups in synthetic chemistry.