Kinetics and mechanism of base catalysed ethyl cyanoformate addition to aldehydes

The mechanism by which tertiary amines catalyse the formation of cyanohydrin carbonates from aldehydes and alkyl cyanoformates is investigated by means of a kinetic study. The reaction rate shows a second order dependence on amine concentration unless the amine is sterically hindered, when the rate has a first order dependence on amine concentration. The catalytic activity of the amine correlated with its pK_aH. On the basis of these results, a mechanism is proposed in which the amine acts as a base to activate a water molecule, which reacts with the ethyl cyanoformate generating cyanide in situ.