Sulfated tungstate: a green catalyst for Strecker reaction

A straightforward, mild, efficient, and general method has been developed for the synthesis of alpha-aminonitriles via Strecker reaction starting from aldehydes or ketones, amines, and trimethylsilyl cyanide in the presence of sulfated tungstate as a heterogeneous mild solid acid catalyst at room temperature and solvent free condition. The developed method has been successfully applied for the synthesis of a wide range of alpha-aminonitriles with variable functionality. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.