Ligand-Promoted Non-Directed C-H Cyanation of Arenes

This article reports the first example of a 2-pyridone accelerated non-directed C-H cyanation with an arene as the limiting reagent. This protocol is compatible with a broad scope of arenes, including advanced intermediates, drug molecules, and natural products. A kinetic isotope experiment (k(H)/k(D) =4.40) indicates that the C-H bond cleavage is the rate-limiting step. Also, the reaction is readily scalable, further showcasing the synthetic utility of this method.