Palladium-Catalyzed Late-Stage Direct Arene Cyanation

Methods for direct benzonitrile synthesis are sparse, despite the versatility of cyano groups in organic synthesis and the importance of benzonitriles for the dye, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries. We report the first general late-stage aryl C-H cyanation with broad substrate scope and functional-group tolerance. The reaction is enabled by a dual-ligand combination of quinoxaline and an amino acid-derived ligand. The method is applicable to direct cyanation of several marketed small-molecule drugs, common pharmacophores, and organic dyes.