Palladium Catalyzed\nCyanation of Diaryl Sulfoxides

Aryl nitriles are highly versatile and useful compounds.\nA palladium-catalyzed\ncyanation of diaryl sulfoxides using bench-stable Zn(CN)<sub>2</sub> as the cyanating reagent has been developed. The reaction proceeded\nwell using Pd(OAc)<sub>2</sub> as the catalyst with the inexpensive\nligand PCy<sub>3</sub> in the presence of <i>t</i>-BuONa.\nThe method has a broad scope of substrates and is scalable. The regioselective\ncyanation of unsymmetrical diaryl sulfoxides was observed at the side\nof electron-deficient and more steric hindered aryl groups.