Cyano-deoxygenation ketones

Yoneda, R., Osaki, H., Harusawa, S., and Kurihara, T., Reductive deoxygenation of a,P-unsatured ketones via cyanophosphates by lithium in liquid ammonia, Chem. Pharm. Bull., 37, 2817, 1989. Yoneda. R.. Osaki, T., Harusawa, S., and Kurihara, T., Dephosphorylation of cyano diethyl phosphates by reduction with lithium-liquid ammonia. An efficient method for conversion of carbonyl compounds into nitriles.. 1. Chem. Soc.. Perkin Trans. 1, 607, 1990. 

A new primary synthesis of 2-amino-3-arylpyrazines is accomplished by reaction of aroyl cyanides with 1,2-diaminoethane (Scheme 33). An important synthesis is that of 2-amino-3-cyano-5-sub-stituted pyrazines, which are conveniently synthesized by condensation of aminomalononitrile with a-oximino ketones and then deoxygenation of the resulting pyrazine jV-oxides (Scheme 37). 

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