Electrophotochemical metal-catalyzed synthesis of alkylnitriles from simple aliphatic carboxylic acids

• Yukang Wang,
• Yan Yao and
• Niankai Fu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1497–1503, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.133

• converts a diverse range of aliphatic carboxylic acids including primary and tertiary alkyl acids into synthetically versatile alkylnitriles without using chemical oxidants or costly cyanating reagents under mild reaction conditions. Keywords: aliphatic carboxylic acids; alkylnitriles; electroorganic

• synthesis; electrophotocatalysis; radical decarboxylation; Introduction Alkylnitriles and their derivatives are widely found in pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds [1][2][3]. In addition, within the field of synthetic organic chemistry, nitriles are synthetically useful handles that can be

• intermediates in organic synthesis for the construction of all-carbon-substituted quaternary centers (Figure 1A). However, conventional methods for the synthesis of tertiary alkylnitriles such as direct functionalization of alkylnitriles [10] and hydrocyanation of alkenes [11][12][13][14] are typically hindered

The reductive decyanation reaction: an overview and recent developments

• Jean-Marc R. Mattalia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2017, 13, 267–284, doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.30

• ][4][5][6]. The α-deprotonation of alkylnitriles generates active α-cyano carbanion nucleophiles. Recent investigations have resulted in different modes of alkylnitrile activations and in the development of new catalytic cyanoalkylation methodologies [7]. While Fleming and Zhang first focused on the

• -BuOH could act as a proton donor and so prevent the olefin isomerization. Alkali metals can also be used in suspension. As mentioned above, highly dispersed potassium over neutral alumina (K/Al2O3) in hexane is able to effect the reductive cleavage of alkylnitriles [18][34]. Zárraga et al. described an