LETTER	Synlett 2007: 1416-1420   DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-980366
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York
Neutral π-Nucleophile-Catalyzed Cyanation of Aldehydes and Ketones
Xiu Wang, Shi-Kai Tian*
Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Material Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, P. R. of China Fax: +86(551)3601592; e-Mail: tiansk@ustc.edu.cn;
Received 8 February 2007

Abstract

1-Methoxy-2-methyl-1-(trimethylsiloxy)propene, a neutral π-nucleophile, was found to be able to efficiently catalyze the cyanation (cyanosilylation and cyanocarbonation) of various aldehydes and ketones, and this study provided the first illustration of using a neutral π-nucleophile for the development of synthetically useful organocatalysis.

Key words

π-nucleophile - cyanosilylation - cyanocarbonation - aldehydes - ketones