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.     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene‐Catalysed Direct Synthesis of Cyano Esters via Cyanation‐Esterification Reaction of α‐Keto Esters

The cyanation‐esterification reaction of α‐keto esters catalysed by N‐heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) is developed. Under the catalysis of 10 mol% 1,3‐bis(2,6‐diisopropylphenyl)imidazol‐2‐ylidene, aromatic and aliphatic α‐keto esters reacted with ethyl cyanoformate or acetyl cyanide to produce the corresponding cyano esters with a tetrasubstituted carbon center in high yields.     

Regio‐ and Stereospecific 1,3‐Allyl Group Transfer Triggered by a Copper‐Catalyzed Borylation/ortho‐Cyanation Cascade

A copper‐catalyzed borylation/ortho‐cyanation/allyl group transfer cascade was developed. Initiated by an unconventional copper‐catalyzed electrophilic dearomatization, this process features regio‐ and stereospecific 1,3‐transposition of the allyl fragment enabled by an aromatization‐driven Cope rearrangement. This method provides an effective means for the construction of adjacent tertiary and quaternary stereocenters with excellent diastereocontrol.     

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.     

A scalable Nenitzescu synthesis of 2‐methyl‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)‐1H‐indole‐5‐carbonitrile

2‐Methyl‐4‐(trifluoromethyl)‐1H‐indole‐5‐carbonitrile is a key intermediate in the synthesis of selective androgen receptor modulators discovered in these laboratories. A practical and convergent synthesis of the title compound starting from 4‐nitro‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenol and tert‐butyl acetoacetate was developed, including a telescoped procedure for synthesis (without isolation) and Nenitzescu reaction of 2‐trifluoromethyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone. Conversion of the known Nenitzescu indole product to a novel triflate intermediate followed by palladium‐catalyzed cyanation afforded a penultimate carbonitrile. Removal of the C‐3 tert‐butyl ester group on the indole through a decarboxylative pathway completed the synthesis of the title compound in six steps (27% overall yield) from 4‐nitro‐3‐(trifluoromethyl)phenol (five steps, 37% overall yield from tert‐butyl acetoacetate). J. Heterocyclic Chem., (2011).     

Diastereoselective Cyanation of α‐Keto Amides Derived from N‐Phenyl Camphorpyrazolidinone and Camphorsultam

The diastereoselective cyanation of α‐keto amides using trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of a Lewis acid is described. The corresponding O‐acetylated cyanohydrins are obtained in good to high levels of stereoselectivities. The predominance of products with the S absolute configuration at the newly generated stereogenic center was deduced from single crystal X‐ray analysis. ¹³C NMR data suggest that a preferential s‐cis conformation was formed by the chelation of a Lewis acid to the dicarbonyl oxygen atoms.     

Synthesis α‐aminonitrile through anodic cyanation of N‐benzylpiperidine

Six‐membered cyclic α‐aminonitrile has been prepared from anodic cyanation of N‐benzylpiperidine. Good yields of α‐aminonitriles could be obtained through potentiostatic electrolysis under different conditions. The results also explain why high yield α‐aminonitriles could not be obtained under constant current electrolysis.     

Rhodium‐Catalyzed Addition of Aryl Boronic Acids to 2,2‐Disubstituted Malononitriles

β‐Ketonitriles bearing a quaternary carbon at the 2‐position were prepared through Rh‐catalyzed addition of aryl boronic acids to 2,2‐disubstituted malononitriles. In contrast to the previously described transnitrilative cyanation of aryl boronic acids with dialkylmalononitriles, the present reaction avoids retro‐Thorpe collapse of the intermediate addition product through the use of a milder base. The reaction was amenable to a variety of aryl boronic acids and disubstituted malononitriles, providing a diverse array of β‐ketonitriles. The products could be further derivatized to valuable chiral α,α‐disubstituted‐β‐aminonitriles through addition reactions to the corresponding N ‐tert ‐butanesulfinyl imines.     

Furopyridines. XXVI. Reactions of cyanopyridine derivatives of furo[2,3‐b]‐, ‐[3,2‐b]‐, ‐[2,3‐c]‐ and ‐[3,2‐c]pyridine

Bromination of α‐cyanopyridine derivatives of furopyridines 1a‐d gave the 2,3‐dibromo‐2,3‐dihydro compounds 2a‐d in excellent yields. Treatment of 2a‐d with sodium hydroxide in methanol yielded compounds formed through the dehydrobromination and solvolysis of the nitrile. N‐Oxidation of 1a and 1b gave N‐oxide in much poor yield, while 1c and 1d gave the N‐oxide 13c and 13d in good yields. The nucleophilic reactions (cyanation, chlorination and acetoxylatoin) of 13c through a Reissert‐Henze type reaction gave poor results, which would be caused by the strong electron withdrawing effect of the cyano group.     

Mild and Copper‐Free Stereoselective Cyanation of gem‐Difluoroalkenes by Using Benzyl Nitrile as a Cyanating Reagent

A novel copper‐free highly stereoselective cyanation of gem‐difluoroalkenes by using benzyl nitrile as a cyanating reagent with the assistance of tBuOLi under air atmosphere at room temperature was developed. A variety of versatile fluorinated alkenyl nitriles were obtained. The proposed mechanism involved the C?H bond oxidation, C?CN bond cleavage, and then nucleophilic vinylic substitution (S_NV).     

Functionalization of Styrenes by Copper‐Catalyzed Borylation/ ortho‐Cyanation and Silver‐Catalyzed Annulation Processes

An efficient two‐step method for the assembly of indanone derivatives starting from a simple vinyl arene has been developed. The sequence first involves addition of bis(pinacolato)diboron (B₂pin₂) and N‐cyano‐N‐phenyl‐p‐methylbenzenesulfonamide (NCTS) to a broad range of styrenes by utilizing IMesCuCl as catalyst. This step simultaneously accomplishes hydroboration of the alkene and ortho cyanation of the benzene unit. The products thus obtained are further functionalized by a AgNO₃/Selectfluor‐mediated coupling of the BPin and cyano functionalities to annulate a new five‐membered ring. This combined two‐step sequence provides a versatile method for the site‐selective derivatization of a broad range of vinyl arene substrates.     

Diverse meta‐C−H Functionalization of Arenes across Different Linker Lengths

Arenes containing conformationally flexible long alkyl chains have been successfully functionalized at the meta‐position. Good to excellent meta selectivity is achieved for systems with up to 20 atoms between the target C?H bond and the coordinating heteroatom of the directing group. The palladium‐catalyzed functionalization reactions include alkylation, cyanation, olefination, and acetoxylation. The meta selectivity is exclusively governed by the design of flexible pyrimidine‐based scaffolds.     

Copper‐Catalyzed Regioselective ortho CH Cyanation of Vinylarenes

A copper‐based catalytic technique for the regioselective ortho C? H cyanation of vinylarenes has been developed. This method provides an effective means for the selective functionalization of vinylarene derivatives. A copper‐catalyzed cyanative dearomatization mechanism is proposed to account for the regiochemical course of this reaction.     

Lithium Cyanide Supported by O‐ and N‐Donors

A series of adducts of LiCN, namely [Li(Me₂CO₃)CN], [Li(Et₂CO₃)CN], and [Li(NMP)CN] (NMP = N‐methyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) were prepared by treatment of solvent‐free LiCN with the appropriate donor. The starting material for these approaches, donor‐free LiCN, was quantitatively prepared from Me₃SiCN and Li[Me] in diethyl ether at 0 °C. Alternatively, [Li(NMP)CN] was synthesized by metathesis reaction of LiCl with NaCN in the presence of stoichiometric amounts of NMP. Although [Li(Me₂CO₃)CN] and [Li(Et₂CO₃)CN] are water‐sensitive compounds and decompose at the exposure to air, [Li(NMP)CN] is stable in air, even at elevated temperatures. The thermal stability of [Li(NMP)CN] was proven by differential thermal analysis (DTA). [Li(NMP)CN] shows thermal stability up to temperatures of about 132 °C. To evaluate the cyanation ability the reactions of 1‐bromooctane and 3‐bromocyclohexene with unsupported LiCN, [Li(NMP)CN], and a mixture of NaCN/LiCl/NMP were investigated. We found that [Li(NMP)CN] as well as LiCl/NaCN/NMP are efficient cyanation reagents comparable to the expensive and air‐sensitive, donor‐free LiCN. A product of the chloride‐cyanide‐bromide exchange could be isolated and structurally characterized by X‐ray diffraction.     

Visible‐Light‐Induced Photoredox Catalysis with a Tetracerium‐Containing Silicotungstate

The development of visible‐light‐induced photocatalysts for chemoselective functional group transformations has received considerable attention. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are potential materials for efficient photocatalysts because their properties can be precisely tuned by changing their constituent elements and structures and by the introduction of additional metal cations. Furthermore, they are thermally and oxidatively more stable than the frequently utilized organometallic complexes. The visible‐light‐responsive tetranuclear cerium(III)‐containing silicotungstate TBA₆[{Ce(H₂O)}₂{Ce(CH₃CN)}₂(μ₄‐O)(γ‐SiW₁₀O₃₆)₂] (CePOM; TBA=tetra‐n‐butylammonium) has now been synthesized; when CePOM was irradiated with visible light (λ>400 nm), a unique intramolecular Ce^III‐to‐POM(W^VI) charge transfer was observed. With CePOM, the photocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of primary and secondary amines as well as the α‐cyanation of tertiary amines smoothly proceeded in the presence of O₂ (1 atm) as the sole oxidant.     

Unprecedented Transformation of a Directing Group Generated In Situ and Its Application in the One‐Pot Synthesis of 2‐Alkenyl Benzonitriles

An unprecedented protocol for the transformation of benzoyl azides into benzonitrile derivatives via iminophosphoranes generated in situ is described. The strategy was successfully applied to the de‐novo synthesis of 2‐alkenylated benzonitrile derivatives from benzoyl azides through ortho C?H activation/alkenylation followed by subsequent rearrangement. The salient features of this protocol involve incorporation of two important functionalities through cyanation and olefination in one pot under mild reaction conditions by using a less expensive Ru catalyst. The mechanism was established by isolating and characterising (using ³¹P NMR) an intermediate with two ortho functionalities, iminophosphorane and olefin, under specific reaction conditions.     

A facile and efficient synthesis of 3‐cyanoindoles by a simple palladium(II)‐catalyzed C─H activation of indoles

An efficient trans ‐PdCl₂(NH₂CH₂COOH)₂‐catalyzed direct C3‐cyanation of indole C─H bonds is described. Notably, free (N─H)‐indoles reacted smoothly using the procedure, and the desired product 3‐cyanoindoles were obtained in good to excellent yields.     

Application of the acetate of baylis‐hillman adducts of salicylaldehydes in the synthesis of methyl 2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydrobenzo[b]oxepine‐4‐carboxylates

A simple synthesis of several methyl 2‐oxo‐2,3‐dihydrobenzo[b]oxepine‐4‐carboxylates from Baylis‐Hillman adducts of O‐benzyl protected 2‐hydroxybenzadehydes has been described through the acetylation, cyanation, debenzylation, as well as acid assisted Pinner cyclization.     

Magnesium Complexes as Highly Effective Catalysts for Conjugate Cyanation of α,β‐Unsaturated Amides and Ketones

Asymmetric cyanation of trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) with α,β‐unsaturated amides and ketones, respectively, catalyzed by bifunctional mononuclear 1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol (BINOL)–Mg and binuclear bis(prophenol)–Mg catalysts was realized. A series of synthetically important 1,4‐cyano products were obtained with good to high enantioselectivities (up to 97 % ee).     

Silica‐supported perchloric acid as a recyclable catalyst for efficient trimethylsilyl cyanide addition to aldehydes

HClO₄? SiO₂ (0.6 mol%) acts as a highly effective catalyst for cyanation of various aldehydes to the corresponding O‐trimethylsilyl cyanohydrins, in high yields and short reaction times. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.