Abstract The title compounds, 4-(3-nitropyridin-2-ylamino) phenol (I) and 4-(3-aminopyridin- 2-ylamino) phenol (II), are two intermediates for the synthesis of a potential antitumor agent ABT-751. The reaction of 4-aminophenol with 2-chloro-3-nitropyridine yielded I which was converted into II by reduction. Instead of the Pd/C catalytic hydrogenation described in many literature, reduction with cheap sodium sulfide in aqueous media was utilized for shorting ...