Catalytic Cyanation of Aryl Halides with Electrophilic N–CN Reagent

Abstract The palladium-catalyzed cyanation of aryl halides has been accomplished for the synthesis of aryl nitriles using the electrophilic N–CN reagent as a cyanating reagent. The method utilizes a mild base and a substoichiometric amount of zinc as a promotor and offers a mild cyanation that tolerates various functional groups to afford aryl nitriles in good to excellent yields. Preliminary mechanistic investigation revealed the important role of the methylene linkage and the reductant.