Metal catalyzed, cyanation compounds

Me3SiCN is a convenient, reactive cyanide donor in transition metal-catalyzed processes. The Pd-catalyzed reaction of aryl iodides with Me3SiCN is useful for the synthesis of aryl cyanides.257 Me3SiCN works also as an effective co-catalyst for the Pd-catalyzed cyanation of aryl iodides with KCN.258 Allylic acetates, carbonates, and the related compounds undergo the Pd-catalyzed cyanation with Me3SiCN.259-261 The tandem cyclization-cyanation reaction of 2-bromo-l,6-heptadienes with Me3SiCN proceeds under catalysis by an Ni complex (Equation (68)).262... 

Cyanate/Cyanurate. When aryl cyanate esters are heated to 150 to 250°C, they cyclotrimerize to cyanuric acid esters (Fig. 3.62). They can be catalyzed by organo-metallic and active hydrogen compounds. When the monomer is a dicyanate such as bisphenol A dicyanate (Fig. 3.63), the result is a highly cross-linked heterocyclic polymer (Table 3.57). Using a novolac polycyanate has produced Tg and useful life over 300°C. 

Optically active cyanohydrins can be easily transformed to P-hydroxy amines, a-hydroxy and a-amino carboxylic acids, which represent versatile intermediates for the synthesis of biologically important compounds, including insecticides and medicines [189, 190]. Asymmetric cyanation of carbonyl compounds catalyzed by chiral metal complexes, particularly titanium compounds, has provided one of the most convenient protocols to the access of these type of compounds. The first example of catalytic asymmetric cyanation of aliphatic aldehydes was realized in Reetz s group using BINOL-Ti complex as the catalyst to give the cyanohydrins in up to 82% ee [104] (Scheme 14.85). 

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