Palladium-Catalyzed Direct C(sp(2))-H Cyanomethylation of Arylamides using Chloroacetonitrile

In this study, we devised a palladium-catalyzed efficient and versatile method for C-(sp(2))-H ortho-cyanomethylation of arylamides with a broad substrate scope and moderate to excellent yields. An inexpensive and commercially available chloroacetonitrile was employed as a cyanomethylating source. This method is also compatible with the air atmosphere. Further, the synthetic feasibility of this technique is established by gram-scale synthesis and functional group transformation of the products.

Automated summary

In this study, a palladium-catalyzed and versatile method for ortho-cyanomethylation of arylamides with a broad substrate scope and moderate to excellent yields was developed. Chloroacetonitrile, which is inexpensive and commercially available, was used as the cyanomethylating source. The method is also compatible with the air atmosphere. Furthermore, the synthetic feasibility of this technique was demonstrated through gram-scale synthesis and functional group transformation of the products.