One-Pot Synthesis of α-Amino Nitrile Units through Alkylative Strecker Cyanation from Formamides

In this work, we describe the one-pot synthesis of alpha-amino nitrile units by the concomitant addition of alkyl (or aryl) Grignard reagents and TMS cyanide through alkylative Strecker cyanation from readily available formamides. The reaction is broad in scope and the conditions are mild, inexpensive, and easy to set-up, providing numerous alpha-amino nitriles in good yields (34 examples, 41-94 % yield).

Automated summary

This work describes the one-pot synthesis of alpha-amino nitrile units through the concomitant addition of alkyl (or aryl) Grignard reagents and TMS cyanide, showing a broad scope, mild conditions, and high yields of numerous alpha-amino nitriles.