Hydantoin formation carbonyl compounds

Formation of hydantoins from carbonyl compounds with potassium cyanide (KCN) and ammonium carbonate [(NH4)2C03] or from cyanohydrins and ammonium carbonate. It belongs to the category of multiple component reaction (MCR). 

The formation of hydantoin (2) from carbonyl compound 1 with potassium cyanide and ammonium carbonate or from cyanohydrin 3 and ammonium carbonate is referred to as... 

Photoreactions in nitrogen-containing carbonyl compounds merit brief discussion in this section as well as in Part II, Chapter 1. Type I behaviour arising by reversible homolysis of the C4-C5 bond has been observed in the anion (72) of (S)-hexobarbital and leads to loss of CO and stereospecific formation of the (i )-hydantoin... 

For the Bucherer-Bergs reaction,16 similar reaction partners to the Strecker reaction are involved. The one major point of divergence is the addition of a carbon dioxide source. Thus the final product from this reaction is hydantoin 19, which could be hydrolyzed to give a Strecker-like product, if so desired. Mechanistically, a reaction sequence analogous to the Strecker reaction can be invoked to generate a-aminonitrile 18 from carbonyl compound 8. In the presence of the carbon dioxide source, the a-aminonitrile product 18 is trapped and results in the formation of cyclized product 19. 

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