sulfuric acid {[3-(3-silicapropyl)sulfanyl]propyl}ester (saspspe) is employed as a recyclable catalyst for the synthesis of α-amino nitriles. these syntheses were performed via a one-pot three-component condensation of aldehydes, amines, and trimethylsilyl cyanide under mild reaction conditions at room temperature. the catalyst could be recycled and reused several times without any loss of effi...

The intramolecular halogenation of O-methylbenzohydroximoyl halides in the presence of a Ru catalyst and the ligand diphenylacetylene afforded halo substituted aromatic nitriles in a highly regioselective manner. Further, substituted nitriles were converted into substituted tetrazole derivatives in the presence of NaN3 and I2.

Hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines constitutes an atom-efficient and environmentally benign synthetic reaction. Herein we present a novel complex based on earth-abundant iron, and its application in the catalytic homogeneous hydrogenation of (hetero)aromatic, benzylic, and aliphatic nitriles to selectively form primary amines.

Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of nitriles from amides has been described. Two similar, but complementary reaction conditions have been identified to convert various amides including α,β,γ,δ-unsaturated amides, cinnamides, aromatic amides and alkyl amides to the corresponding nitriles in good to excellent yield.

Alcaligenes sp. MTCC 10674 has a bienzymatic system for the hydrolysis of nitriles. The nitrile hydratase and amidase have been purified simultaneously to homogeneity using a combination of (NH)4SO4 precipitation, ion exchange chromatography and gel permeation chromatography. Nitrile hydratase and amidase have molecular weight of 47 and 114 kDa, respectively and exist as heterodimer. Optimum te...

Nitrilase from Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 33278 hydrolyses both aliphatic and aromatic nitriles. Replacing Tyr-142 in the wild-type enzyme with the aromatic amino acid phenylalanine did not alter specificity for either substrate. However, the mutants containing non-polar aliphatic amino acids (alanine, valine and leucine) at position 142 were specific only for aromatic substrates such as benz...

Two-step one-pot transformation of primary halides into corresponding nitriles is successfully achieved. Nucleophilic substitution of primary halides with sodium azide and subsequent palladium-catalyzed hydrogen transfer proceeds smoothly in the presence of sterically bulky ligand dicyclohexyl(2',4',6'-triisopropylbiphenyl-2-yl)phosphine (XPhos) in acetone to produce nitriles in satisfactory to...

trans-2-Aryl-3-nitro-cyclopropane-1,1-dicarboxylates when reacted with nitriles in the presence of tin(IV) chloride afford 2,4,5-trisubstituted oxazoles in good to excellent yields. The reactions take place through in situ generation of aroylmethylidene malonates from the cyclopropanes, followed by conjugate addition of nitriles to the malonates to form nitrilium ion intermediates and subsequen...

A novel, efficient, convenient and environmentally friendly approach for the synthesis of nitriles and imines from primary amines has been developed. Using commercially available red copper as the catalyst, ammonium bromide as the co-catalyst and molecular oxygen as the sole oxidant, nitriles and imines can be afforded in high yields through benzylic oxidation.

The incorporation of enzyme-catalysed reactions as key features in multi-step organic syntheses is becoming more widespread. Various hydrolase and oxidoreductase enzymes have been used in syntheses of antibiotics and compounds of importance in inflammation and heart disease. The employment of enzymes as catalysts in synthetic organic chemistry is becoming widespread; comprehensive recent review...