Conversion of Aldehydes into Nitriles via Combined Oxidation/Photoredox Catalysis
Combining Oxoammonium Cation Mediated Oxidation and Photoredox Catalysis for the Conversion of Aldehydes into Nitriles: J. Nandi, M. L. Witko, N. E. Leadbeater
Synlett 2018, 29, 2185–2190
The applications and scope of photocatalysis in organic synthesis continues to expand, with novel photoredox processes being reported every week. Recently, the group of Professor Nicholas E. Leadbeater from the University of Connecticut (Storrs, USA) reported a new method for converting aryl and heteroaryl aldehydes into the corresponding nitriles based on a tandem oxidation/photoredox catalysis process using ruthenium catalysts.
Professor Leadbeater said: “With nitriles being an important class of compounds as well as serving as versatile intermediates, we hope that our methodology for their generation from aldehydes harnessing visible light photocatalysis and a clean, green oxidant will be a valuable addition to the synthetic chemist’s toolkit.”
