Ambident, cyanide

The intermediacy of a carbocation or complex-equivalent is attractive, if one considers that the nucleophilic ambident cyanide ion may be accomodated on secondary or tertiary cationic sites. Where exceptions (e.g., 125,126,134-136 cf. Sect. 4.3) exist, the cationic intermediate resides on a primary allylic carbon. The following skeletal types are examples of some biogenetic schemes offered in conjunction with the structural determination of isocyanoterpenoids ... 

Since the cyanide anion is an ambident nucleophile, isonitriles R—NC may be obtained as by-products. The reaction pathway to either nitrile or isonitrile can be controlled by proper choice of the counter cation for the cyanide anion. 

The cyanide ion is an ambident nucleophile and isocyanides may be side products. If the preparation of isocyanides is desired, they can be made the main products by the use of silver or copper(I) cyanide (p. 459). Vinylic bromides can be converted to vinylic cyanides with CuCN, with KCN, a crown ether, and a... 

Another premise cannot be excluded and will be investigated eventually. As in the case of cyanide ion, isothiocyanate ion may be a precursor in the biosynthesis of some marine isothiocyanates. Like cyanide, thiocyanate ion is an ambident nucleophile. Specific incorporation of this ion by a carbocationic site... 

Other possible ambident nucleophiles include cyanide anion (CN ), methyl sulfinate anion (CH3S02 ), and acetone enolate (CH3COCH2 ). Identify the most electron-rich atom(s) in each anion (based on charges alone), and indicate the major product that should result from an SN2 reaction with methyl bromide at this atom(s). 

Cyanide is an ambident nucleophile, and can also react on nitrogen to yield isonitriles. 

Reactions of carbocations with free CN- occur preferentially at carbon, and not nitrogen as predicted by the principle of hard and soft acids and bases.69 Isocyano compounds (N-attack) are only formed with highly reactive carbocations where the reaction with cyanide occurs without an activation barrier because the diffusion limit has been reached. A study with the nitrite nucleophile led to a similar observation.70 This led to a conclusion that the ambident reactivity of nitrite in terms of charge control versus orbital control needs revision. In particular, it is proposed that SNl-type reactions of carbocations with nitrite only give kinetically controlled products when these reactions proceed without activation energy (i.e. are diffusion controlled). Activation controlled combinations are reversible and result in the thermodynamically more stable product. The kinetics of the reactions of benzhydrylium ions with alkoxides dissolved in the corresponding alcohols were determined.71 The order of nucleophilicities (OH- MeO- < EtO- < n-PrCT < / -PrO ) shows that alkoxides differ in reactivity only moderately, but are considerably more nucleophilic than hydroxide. 

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