A new and effective method was developed for the synthesis of aromatic nitriles from
arylacetic acids by using NaNO2 as the nitrogen source and Fe(OTf)3 as the promoter at 50 °C. A series of arylacetic acids underwent this transformation
to give the targeted products in yields of 51–90%. Because of the mild conditions,
the reaction is compatible with a broad range of functional groups, including ester,
carboxy, hydroxy, acetamido, halo, nitro, cyano, methoxy, and even highly reactive
formyl groups.
Key words
aryl nitriles - nitriles - decarboxylation - sodium nitrite - iron catalysis - arylacetic
acids