Hydrogen cyanide substituents

The stereospecific generation of enamines by -elimination reactions (187) and a vinylogous elimination, which leads to a dienamine (188), have been reported. The loss of an a substituent from a tertiary amine is seen in the generation of enamines by elimination of hydrogen cyanide from benzylic a-aminonitriles (189,190). 

Carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, and nitriles also react with aromatic compounds in the presence of strong acids or Friedel-Crafts catalysts to introduce formyl or acyl substituents. The active electrophiles are believed to be dications resulting from diprotonation of CO, HCN, or the nitrile.64 The general outlines of the mechanisms of these reactions are given below. 

By substituting hydrogen cyanide for carbon monoxide it is further possible to prepare a very great variety of phenolic aldehydes and of their ethers. Usually the aldehyde group takes up the position para to the substituent already present. In this case the cuprous chloride is unnecessary. Since hydrogen cyanide and HC1 combine to form... 

Copper-catalyzed monoaddition of hydrogen cyanide to conjugated alkenes proceeded very conveniently with 1,3-butadiene, but not with its methyl-substituted derivatives. The most efficient catalytic system consisted of cupric bromide associated to trichloroacetic acid, in acetonitrile at 79 °C. Under these conditions, 1,3-butadiene was converted mainly to (Z )-l-cyano-2-butene, in 68% yield. A few percents of (Z)-l-cyano-2-butene and 3-cyano-1-butene (3% and 4%, respectively) were also observed. Polymerization of the olefinic products was almost absent. The very high regioselectivity in favor of 1,4-addition of hydrogen cyanide contrasted markedly with the very low regioselectivity of acetic acid addition (vide supra). Methyl substituents on 1,3-butadiene decreased significantly the efficiency of the reaction. With isoprene and piperylene, the mononitrile yields were reduced... 

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