Cleavage of the Carbon-Carbon Triple Bonds of Arylacetylenes for the Synthesis of Arylnitriles without a Metal Catalyst

Cleavage of the carbon-carbon triple bonds of alkynes was achieved, which led to the synthesis of arylnitriles under transition-metal-free conditions. A vast range of terminal alkyne substrates underwent this reaction to provide the corresponding nitriles in moderate to good yields with good functional group tolerance.