Preparation of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles from nitriles in water.

The addition of sodium azide to nitriles to give 1H-tetrazoles is shown to proceed readily in water with zinc salts as catalysts. The scope of the reaction is quite broad; a variety of aromatic nitriles, activated and unactivated alkyl nitriles, substituted vinyl nitriles, thiocyanates, and cyanamides have all been shown to be viable substrates for this reaction.     

Formation of Four Different Aromatic Scaffolds from Nitriles through Tandem Divergent Catalysis

A zinc bromide complex, formed by the sequential reaction of nitriles with a Reformatsky reagent and terminal alkynes, is used as an intermediate for divergent palladium‐catalyzed reactions. The reaction pathway of the intermediate is precisely controlled by the choice of the reaction solvent or the palladium catalyst to quickly form four different aromatic scaffolds—arylamines, aminoindenes, pyrroles, and quinolines—starting from readily available nitriles.     

From azides to nitriles. A novel fast transformation made possible by BrF3

[reaction: see text]. Various alkyl and aryl azides, readily obtained from halides or alcohols, were transformed into the corresponding nitriles using bromine trifluoride in moderate to good yields. The reaction is general and gives positive results with aliphatic, aromatic, cyclic, and functionalized azides. It can also be applied to the synthesis of optically active nitriles.     

Environment friendly protocol for the synthesis of nitriles from aldehydes

<正>A rapid and eco-friendly one-pot protocol for the synthesis of nitriles has been developed by treating various araldehydes bearing electron withdrawing as well as electron donating groups with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in the presence of non-toxic,non-corrosive and reusable zinc oxide(ZnO) as the catalyst under solvent-free microwave irradiation.The present approach offers the advantages of a clean reaction,simple methodology,employing readily available catalyst,short reaction duration(1 min),high selectivity;and high yield(90-98%).     

Carbon dioxide triggered and copper-catalyzed domino reaction: efficient construction of highly substituted 3(2H)-furanones from nitriles and propargylic alcohols

A novel carbon dioxide triggered and copper-catalyzed domino reaction for the efficient synthesis of highly substituted 3(2H)-furanones from readily available nitriles and propargylic alcohols has been developed. Carbon dioxide is a prerequisite for achieving the present catalytic transformation, and one of the oxygen atoms of carbon dioxide is incorporated into the 3(2H)-furanones. Nitriles not only act as the reaction solvent but also as the reactant; copper salts play dual roles of activating both the propargylic alcohols and nitriles.     

Rhodium-catalyzed transannulation of 1,2,3-triazoles with nitriles

Stable and readily available 1-sulfonyl triazoles are converted to the corresponding imidazoles in good to excellent yields via a rhodium(II)-catalyzed reaction with nitriles. Rhodium iminocarbenoids are proposed intermediates.     

Cyclic nitriles: diastereoselective alkylations

[reaction: see text] Diastereoselective alkylations of metalated conformationally locked 4-tert-butylcyclohexanecarbonitrile are highly diastereoselective with magnesium and copper counterions but only modestly diastereoselective with lithium as the counterion. Selective generation of diverse metalated nitriles is readily achieved through bromine-magnesium, -copper, and -lithium exchange reactions of the corresponding bromonitrile or, for lithium, by deprotonating the parent nitrile with lithium diethylamide. Collectively, high alkylation stereoselectivities correlate with the retentive alkylations of C-metalated nitriles, whereas N-lithiated nitriles alkylate with modest selectivity, reflecting minimal steric differences in the corresponding axial and equatorial electrophile trajectories.     

FeCl_3·6H_2O-catalyzed selective reduction of allylic halides to alkenes with concomitant oxidation of benzylic alcohols to aldehydes

Iron-catalyzed direct reduction of allylic halides with benzylic alcohol was achieved,providing a new,simple,and efficient method for conducting highly regioselective hydrodehalogenation.This method not only features a readily available reductant,an inexpensive catalyst,simple manipulation,and good tolerance of functional groups including nitriles,nitro,esters,and methoxyl groups,it also has mild reaction conditions and shows complete regioselectivity in that only halides sited at the allylic position are reduced.Alternatively,this method can be applied in the selective transformation of benzylic alcohols to aromatic aldehydes without overoxidation to carboxylic acids.     

Regioselective TfOH-mediated hydroamidation of ynamides with nitriles

A new TfOH-mediated reaction of ynamides with nitriles as nucleophiles has been developed. The reaction works efficiently under mild reaction conditions to afford a new class of α-acylaminoenamides readily via the intermediacy of keteniminium ion. The reaction displays generality and a broad substrates scope. Additionally, the α-acylaminoenamides could be transformed to highly substituted pyridine, 4-aminopyrimidine or isoquinoline cores.     

General, stereoselective synthesis of (Z)-beta,gamma-unsaturated nitriles promoted by samarium diiodide

A method to obtain (Z)-beta,gamma-unsaturated nitriles in high or good yields and with moderate or high stereoselectivity is described. The products were achieved through the photoinduced metalation of 3-acetoxy-4-chloronitriles with SmI2. The starting compounds were readily prepared, and a mechanism is proposed to explain this stereoselective beta-elimination reaction.     

Chloroazirines-conversion to azacyclopropenium cations azidoazirines and biazirines

Chloroazirines ionise readily but the derived azacyclopropenium ions cannot be observed directly; attempted conversion to biazirines gives the pyrazine and pyrimidine and reaction with azide ion leads to alkynes and nitriles via labile azidoazirines.     

Direct synthesis of nitriles by Cu/DMEDA/TEMPO-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of primary amines with air

By screening the copper catalysts, ligands, and the reaction conditions, a simple CuCl/DMEDA/TEMPO catalyst system readily available from commercial sources is developed for a direct and selective synthesis of the useful nitriles by an aerobic oxidation reaction of primary amines using air as an advantageous oxidant under mild conditions.     

gamma-hydroxy unsaturated nitriles: chelation-controlled conjugate additions

[reaction--see text] Chelation between gamma-hydroxy unsaturated nitriles and Grignard reagents promotes an otherwise difficult anionic conjugate addition reaction. The intermediate chelate is readily generated by deprotonation with t-BuMgCl followed by the addition of a second Grignard reagent that triggers an intramolecular conjugate addition. Structurally diverse Grignard reagents add with equal efficiency, providing an intermediate anion that stereoselectively alkylates BnBr in an overall addition-alkylation reaction.     

Iodine-Catalyzed,Efficient, One-Pot Protocol for the Conversion of Araldehydes into 5-Aryl-1H-tetrazoles

An easy access to various 5-aryl-1H-tetrazoles by a one-pot direct conversion of aldehydes to tetrazoles without the isolation of the intermediate nitriles using commercially available iodine as a catalyst is described. The protocol offers advantages in terms of good yields, mild reaction conditions, short reaction times, and use of readily available environmentally compatible catalyst.     

Construction of highly functional α-amino nitriles via a novel multicomponent tandem organocatalytic reaction: a facile access to α-methylene γ-lactams

The first tertiary amine-catalyzed multicomponent tandem Strecker-allylic-alkylation (SAA) reaction has been developed, which provides a facile access to functionalized α-amino nitriles, which could be readily converted into α-methylene-γ-butyrolactams.     

Synthesis of 2-substituted benzothiazoles via the Brønsted acid catalyzed cyclization of 2-amino thiophenols with nitriles

A convenient and efficient method for the synthesis of 2-substituted benzothiazoles from simple and readily available 2-amino thiophenols and nitriles is described. The Brønsted acid-catalyzed cyclization reaction was performed under metal and solvent-free conditions.     

Mild palladium-catalyzed selective monoarylation of nitriles

Two new palladium-catalyzed procedures for the arylation of nitriles under less basic conditions than previously reported have been developed. The selective monoarylation of acetonitrile and primary nitriles has been achieved using alpha-silyl nitriles in the presence of ZnF2. This procedure is compatible with a variety of functional groups, including cyano, keto, nitro, and ester groups, on the aryl bromide. The arylation of secondary nitriles occurred in high yield by conducting reactions with zinc cyanoalkyl reagents. These reaction conditions tolerated base-sensitive functional groups, such as ketones and esters. The combination of these two methods, one with alpha-silyl nitriles and one with zinc cyanoalkyl reagents, provides a catalytic route to a variety of benzylic nitriles, which have not only biological significance but utility as synthetic intermediates. The utility of these new coupling reactions has been demonstrated by a synthesis of verapamil, a clinically used drug for the treatment of heart disease, by a three-step route from commercial materials that allows convenient variation of the aryl group.     

Facile one-pot synthesis of 2,3,5-substituted 1,2,4-oxadiazolines from nitriles in aqueous solution

[reaction: see text] Alkyl/aryl amidoximes, prepared from the corresponding nitriles and N-alkylhydroxylamines, have readily undergone consecutive Michael additions to electron-deficient alkynes and provided highly substituted 1,2,4-oxadiazolines in good yields in homogeneous aqueous solution.     

Novel isocyanide-based three-component one-pot synthesis of cyanophenylamino-acetamide derivatives

A one-pot multicomponent synthesis of a novel class of cyanophenylamino-acetamides through the conversion of primary amides to the corresponding nitriles, starting from simple and readily available inputs including 2-aminobenzamide, an aldehyde, and an isocyanide in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid as a catalyst, in excellent yields at room temperature in ethanol as a green reaction medium is described.     

Ln[N(SiMe3)2]3‐Catalyzed Cross‐Diinsertion of CN/CC into an NH Bond: Facile Synthesis of 1,2,4‐Trisubstituted Imidazoles from Propargylamines and Nitriles

A lanthanide‐catalyzed sequential insertion of C?N and C?C into an N?H bond is presented. The convenient reaction, which proceeds under mild conditions, is an efficient method for preparing 1,2,4‐trisubstituted imidazoles directly from readily available propargylamines and nitriles.