Nitriles, catalytic hydrogenation with sodium borohydride

Aniline 77 was converted into its diazonium salt with nitrous acid and this was followed by reduction with stannous chloride to afford the corresponding arylhydrazine 78. Condensation of 78 with 3-cyanopropanal dimethylacetal 79 gave the arylhydrazone 80. Treatment of 80 with PPE resulted in cyclization to indole 81. The nitrile group was then reduced to the primary amine by catalytic hydrogenation. Reaction of the amine with excess formalin and sodium borohydride resulted in Imitrex (82). 

The reduction is usually effected catalytically in ethanol solution using hydrogen under pressure in the presence of Raney nickel. As in the reduction of nitriles (Section 5.16.1, p. 771), which also involves the intermediate imine, ammonia or the amines should be present in considerable excess to minimise the occurrence of undesirable side reactions leading to the formation of secondary and tertiary amines. These arise from the further reaction of the carbonyl compound with the initially formed amine product. Selected experimental conditions for these reductive alkylation procedures have been well reviewed.210 Sodium borohydride has also been used as an in situ reducing agent and is particularly effective with mixtures of primary amines and aliphatic aldehydes and ketones.211... 

---