Transition‐Metal‐Catalyzed Cyanation by Using an Electrophilic Cyanating Agent,N‐Cyano‐N‐phenyl‐p‐toluenesulfonamide (NCTS)

The ability to introduce a nitrile group into a biologically active compound is very useful in organic synthesis, owing to the importance of nitrile groups in transformations and tuning molecular properties. To date, nucleophilic cyanation has been the most used strategy for this purpose, whilst electrophilic cyanation reactions are less developed. Recently, the electrophilic cyanation reagent N‐cyano‐N‐phenyl‐p‐toluenesulfonamide (NCTS) has received increasing attention, owing to its superior properties in terms of safety and practicality. This Focus Review summarizes recent progress in transition‐metal‐catalyzed cyanation reactions that use NCTS.     

A method for the cyanation of alkenes using nitromethane as a source of cyano group mediated by proton-exchanged montmorillonite

A novel method for the cyanation of alkenes using nitromethane as a source of the cyano group is described. H⁺-montmorillonite mediates the cyanation through the in situ formation of trimethylsilanecarbonitrile oxide from nitromethane and allylsilane, followed by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and subsequent rearrangement to afford the corresponding nitriles.     

Cyanide-Free Cyanation of sp2 and sp-Carbon Atoms by an Oxazole-Based Masked CN Source Using Flow Microreactors

This work reports a cyanide-free continuous-flow process for cyanation of sp² and sp carbons to synthesize aryl, vinyl and acetylenic nitriles from (5-methyl-2-phenyloxazol-4-yl) boronic acid [OxBA] reagent as a sole source of carbon-bound masked −CN source. Non-toxic and stable OxBA reagent is generated by lithiation-borylation of bromo-oxazole, and the consecutive Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling with aryl, vinyl, or acetylenic halides and demasking [4+2]/retro-[4+2] sequence were successfully accomplished to give the desired cyano compounds with reasonably good yields in a four-step flow manner. A unique feature of this cyanation protocol in flow enables to cyanate a variety of sp² and sp carbons to produce a broad spectrum of aryl acetonitrile. It is envisaged that the OxBA based cyanation would replace existing unstable and toxic approaches as well as non-toxic cyanation using two different sources of “C” and “N” to incorporate the −CN group.     

Remote meta‐C–H Cyanation of Arenes Enabled by a Pyrimidine‐Based Auxiliary

An easily removable pyrimidine‐based auxiliary has been employed for the remote meta ‐C−H cyanation of arenes. The scope of this Pd‐catalyzed cyanation reaction using copper(I) cyanide as the cyanating agent was demonstrated with benzylsilanes, benzylsulfonates, benzylphophonates, phenethylsulfonates, and phenethyl ether derivatives. The method was utilized for the synthesis of pharmaceutically valuable precursors.     

Vanadium-catalyzed oxidative Strecker reaction: α-C–H cyanation of para-methoxyphenyl (PMP)-protected primary amines

We describe an oxidative Strecker reaction that allows for direct cyanation of para-methoxyphenyl (PMP)-protected primary amines. A vanadium(V) complex was used as the catalyst and TBHP as the oxidant. The cyanation occurs at the α-C position bearing either an alkyl or an aromatic group. This method provides a direct access to α-aminonitrile from amines with one-carbon extension.     

Synthesis of isotopomers of N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-4-cyano-l-phenylalanine methyl ester: choice of cyanation solvent

N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-4-cyano-l-phenylalanine methyl ester and three isotopomers (C¹⁵N, ¹³CN, and ¹³C¹⁵N) were successfully synthesized in two steps to expand the utility of the nitrile symmetric stretch vibration of this modified amino acid as a vibrational reporter of local environments. The choice of cyanation solvent directly impacted the level of isotopic enrichment of the isotopomers. The commonly used solvent acetonitrile resulted in an isotopic enrichment of only ∼80% with a cyanation reaction time of 4.5 h, however, the cyanation solvent N,N-dimethylformamide afforded the isotopomers with >98% isotopic enrichment.     

LiBF4-Catalyzed three-component coupling of an aldehyde, acetic anhydride and allyltrimethylsilane/TMSCN

Lithium tetrafluoroborate is found to be an efficient catalyst for allylation and cyanation of aldehydes with allyltrimethylsilane and trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of acetic anhydride at room temperature to produce homoallylic acetates and α-cyano acetates in excellent yields. A solution of 10 mol % of LiBF₄ in acetonitrile provides a convenient reaction medium to carry out allylation and cyanation reactions under very mild and neutral conditions.     

Copper-catalyzed cyanation of benzyl chlorides with non-toxic K4[Fe(CN)6]

Copper-based catalysts were firstly introduced into the cyanation of benzyl chlorides with non-toxic K₄[Fe(CN)₆]. The presented method avoids the use of extremely poisonous alkali cyanides and precious palladium catalysts. No other reagent apart from CuI, K₄[Fe(CN)₆] and toluene was used in the cyanation, showing that the presented protocol is simple and practical. A series of benzyl chlorides were smoothly cyanated in up to 85% yield under the optimal conditions.     

Ag/Cu-mediated decarboxylative cyanation of aryl carboxylic acids with K4Fe(CN)6 under aerobic conditions

A method for facile synthesis of aryl nitriles has been well established via Ag/Cu-mediated decarboxylative cyanation of benzoic acids with K₄Fe(CN)₆ under aerobic conditions. The approach of using readily accessible aryl carboxylic acids and green K₄Fe(CN)₆ as starting material provides a feasible alternative to previous cyanation protocols. Control experiments revealed the key role of Cu for the process and excluded the possibility of a radical mechanism for the transformation.     

Visible-light-induced cyanation of aza-Baylis–Hillman adducts: a Michael type addition

Visible-light-induced aerobic oxidative cyanation of aza-Baylis–Hillman (aza-BH) adducts providing valuable allylic cyanides in good to excellent yields has been developed. The protocol involves in situ formation of 4π conjugated iminium ion intermediates, which undergo cyanation at the γ-position to afford Michael type adducts. This is the first example of visible-light-induced catalytic functionalization of aza-BH adducts using air (O₂) as an economical and ecosustainable oxidant and TMSCN as a convenient and readily available cyanide source.     

5‐(Cyano)dibenzothiophenium Triflate: A Sulfur‐Based Reagent for Electrophilic Cyanation and Cyanocyclizations

The synthesis of 5‐(cyano)dibenzothiophenium triflate 9 , prepared by activation of dibenzo[b,d]thiophene‐5‐oxide with Tf₂O and subsequent reaction with TMSCN is reported, and its reactivity as electrophilic cyanation reagent evaluated. The scalable preparation, easy handling and broad substrate scope of the electrophilic cyanation promoted by 9 , which includes amines, thiols, silyl enol ethers, alkenes, electron rich (hetero)arenes and polyaromatic hydrocarbons, illustrate the synthetic potential of this reagent. Importantly, Lewis acid activation of the reagent is not required for the transfer process. We additionally report herein biomimetic cyanocyclization cascade reactions, which are not promoted by typical electrophilic cyanation reagents, demonstrating the superior ability of 9 to trigger challenging transformations.     

Electrophilic Cyanation of Boron Enolates: Efficient Access to Various β‐Ketonitrile Derivatives

The highly efficient electrophilic cyanation of boron enolates using readily available cyanating reagents, N‐cyano‐N‐phenyl‐p‐toluenesulfonamide (NCTS) and p‐toluenesulfonyl cyanide (TsCN), is reported. Various β‐ketonitriles were prepared by this new protocol, which has a remarkably broad substrate scope compared to existing methods. The present method also allowed efficient synthesis of β‐ketonitriles containing a quaternary α‐carbon center. In addition, a preliminary result with the use of a chiral boron enolate for the enantioselective cyanation reaction is described.     

Palladium bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) catalyzed Suzuki, Heck, Sonogashira, and cyanation reactions

Palladium bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate): a structurally well-defined O-containing transition metal complex is reported as an efficient catalyst for Suzuki, Heck, and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions. The protocol was also applied successfully for cyanation of aryl halides under milder operating conditions. The system tolerated the coupling of various aryl halides with alkenes, alkynes, and organoboronic acid along with the cyanation of aryl halides providing good to excellent yields of desired products.     

Shape-dependent catalytic activity of copper oxide-supported Pd(0) nanoparticles for Suzuki and cyanation reactions

Palladium nanoparticles supported on different shapes of nanocrystalline CuO are prepared by the treatment of Cu(NO₃)₂ and Pd(OAc)₂ in polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000). The shapes of the CuO/Pd composite are dependent on the amount of PEG used. Suzuki coupling was catalyzed efficiently by the oval-shaped material, whereas the rod shape facilitates the cyanation reaction. The CuO/Pd catalyst is recovered and reused for subsequent Suzuki reactions; however, cyanation poisons the catalyst for further use. Both these reactions are very clean and high yielding.     

Regiocontrolled Microwave Assisted Bifunctionalization of 7,8-Dihalogenated Imidazo[1,2-<em>a</em>]pyridines: A One Pot Double-Coupling Approach

The reactivity of the 7-chloro-8-iodo- and 8-chloro-7-iodoimidazo[1,2-a]pyridines 1a-e diversely substituted on the 2 position, towards Suzuki-Miyaura, Sonogashira, and Buchwald-Hartwig cross-coupling reactions as well as cyanation was evaluated. Various methodologies are proposed to introduce aryl, heteroaryl, alkyne, amine or cyano groups in the two positions depending on the nature of the substituent present in position 2. In both series, the substitution of the iodine atom was totally regioselective and the difficulty was to substitute the chlorine atom in a second step. Until now, only hetero(aryl) groups could be introduced though Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling. We overcame this problem evaluating both regioisomers in parallel. The double coupling approach was also studied allowing the one pot Suzuki/Suzuki, cyanation/Sonogashira and cyanation/Buchwald reactions leading to polyfunctionnalized imidazo[1,2-a]pyridines.     

Facile Synthesis of 3‐Hydroxyglutamic Acids via Cyanation of Chiral N‐Acyliminium Cation Derived From (S)‐Malic Acid

Facile synthesis of 3‐hydroxyglutamic acids via cyanation of an N‐acyliminium intermediate derived from (S)‐malic acid is described. The chiral cyclic imide derived from (S)‐malic acid was converted to an acetoxylactam by reduction with sodium borohydride followed by acetylation. The obtained acetoxylactam was treated with trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate to give the corresponding cyanolactam in high yield, even though the diastereoselectivity of the cyanation reaction was moderate. The diastereomers of the cyanolactam were chromatographically separable and were independently converted to (2R,3S)‐ and (2S,3S)‐3‐hydroxyglutamic acids.     

Formal Total Synthesis of (±)‐Occidol

The conversion of tetralone 1 to methylketone 7, a valuable intermediate of occidol 8, has been accomplished in four steps (reduction, mesylation, cyanation, and Grignard reaction with methylmagnesium bromide).     

阳极氰化反应的研究进展

本文综述了近30年来阳极氰化反应在有机电合成中的应用,主要回顾了阳极氰化胺、阳极氰化杂环化合物和阳极氰化芳香化合物的研究.此外,还报道了乳化技术在阳极氰化反应中的应用.     

Remote oxidation of carbonyl compounds in Na2S2O8-NaCN: Essentially simple approach to x- and δ-cyanoderivatives

Ketones and aldehydes are converted into x- and δ-cyanoketones or cyanoacids in one-pot reaction of the remote oxidative cyanation with Na₂S₃O₈-NaCN.     

A New Modified Electrophilic Cyanation of Aromatics with Activated Aryl Cyanates

The selective cyanation of electron-rich aromatics succeeds in moderate to good yields with the activated aryl cyanates 1a-d using AlCl₃/HCl. The formation of p-isomeres is preferred.