Mechanism of the conversion ofα,β-unsaturated aldehydes to esters of saturated acids under the action of cyanohydrins in the presence of tertiary amines

Conclusions The reaction of,-unsaturated aldehydes with cyanohydrins in the presence of tertiary amines, leading to esters of cyanohydrins, proceeds through the formation of the cyanohydrin of an,-unsaturated aldehyde, followed by intramolecular prototropic 1,3-shift (75–80%), the formation of a ketonitrile, and conversion of the latter to an ester.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 581–586, March, 1970.