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Updated: Jun 17, 2025

A Protocol for Safe Lithiation Reactions Using Organolithium Reagents
Published on: November 12, 2016
Ligand-Enabled Gold-Catalyzed Cyanation of Organohalides
Anil Kumar1, Nandita Bhattacharya1, Manoj V Mane2
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, 462 066, India.
Abstract:
Herein, we disclose the first report on gold-catalyzed C(sp2)-CN cross-coupling reaction by employing a ligand-enabled Au(I)/Au(III) redox catalysis. This transformation utilizes acetone cyanohydrin as a nucleophilic cyanide source to convert simple aryl and alkenyl iodides into the corresponding nitriles. Combined experimental and computational studies highlighted the crucial role of cationic silver salts in activating the stable (P,N)-AuCN complex towards the oxidative addition of aryl iodides to subsequently generate key aryl-Au(III) cyanide complexes.
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