Organoselenium-Catalyzed Mild Dehydration of Aldoximes: An Unexpected Practical Method for Organonitrile Synthesis

Areneselenenic acids (ArSeOH), readily generated from diaryl diselenides and H2O2 by in situ oxidation, were found to be effective and reusable catalysts for dehydration of aldoximes, leading to a practical and scalable preparation of useful organonitriles under mild conditions.