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Updated: Oct 25, 2026

Preparation of 6-aminocyclohepta-2,4-dien-1-one Derivatives via Tricarbonyl(tropone)iron
Published on: August 12, 2019
Mechanochemical DDQ-Enabled Cyanations of Tertiary Amines
1Institute of Organic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 1, 52074Aachen, Germany.
Abstract:
Although 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) is known to release HCN upon exposure to water, this reactivity has not been exploited as a practical cyanide source in synthetic cyanation. Herein, we report that, under ball-milling conditions, trace amounts of water generated in situ from the thermal decomposition of ammonium carbonate enable DDQ to function as an efficient cyanide source, effecting α-cyanations of tertiary amines to furnish α-aminonitriles. The utility of this protocol is further demonstrated by its application to a Strecker synthesis. Remarkably, simple replacement of the ammonium carbonate with an external amine diverts the reaction pathway to an unprecedented sequence involving C-N bond cleavage, amine insertion, and cyanation, delivering cyano-containing secondary amines. Both transformations proceed under solvent-free mechanochemical conditions without an added metal catalyst, with the reaction outcome dictated by the choice of additive.
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