Organolithium reagents with nitriles

Reactions of either Grignard or organolithium reagents with most aldehydes, ketones, or esters produce alcohols. Reactions of organolithium reagents with carboxylic acids, or of Grignard reagents with nitriles, produce ketones. 

Nitriles can be treated with Grignard reagents or organolithium reagents to give ketones ... 

Fig. Nitriles react with Grignard reagent or organolithium reagents to produce ketones.

Some imidoyllithiums 52 derived from triphenylmethyl isocyanide (51) dissociate to produce nitriles, which react with an organolithium reagent to give the corresponding imines and, after their hydrolysis, ketones. The intermediate nitrile can be isolated working at —78°C, whereas for the isolation of imines or ketones, after addition of the organolithium, the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature (Scheme 14)74. The structure of the imidoyllithium intermediate has been assigned by IR spectroscopy... 

Both Grignard and organolithium reagents react with nitriles to form ketones with a new carbon-carbon bond. 

C Reaction of a nitrile with a Grignard or organolithium reagent... 

Discussed in this chapter, for the most part, are documented cases where complexes derived fiom (one or more equivalents of) a Grignard or organolithium reagent, in combination with a copper(I) salt, have been used to add to an aldehyde, ketone, imine, amide or nitrile moiety. In the majority of examples, the key issue is one of stereocontrol. Hence, where available, data within the organocopper manifold versus those for other organometallic reagents are provided for comparison. 

The reaction of cerium reagents with imines and nitriles which possess a-hydrogens has been studied by Wada et al ° Available data indicate that the reagents do not effectively d to these substrates, although the results are better than with alkyllithiums themselves. A modification of the procedure improves the yields of addition products. Thus, addition of the organocerium or organolithium reagent to an... 

Diisobutylaluminum hydride. 13, 115-116 15, 137-138 16, 134-135 17, 123-125 Monosilyl acetals and amines. The DIBALH reduction products of esters can be converted into monosilyl acetals by treatment with TMSOTf-pyridine and those of nitriles into amines by the addition of organolithium reagents. ... 

The synthesis of symmetrical ketones noted above was developed into a practicable method by use of 2 eq. of the organolithium reagent for 1 eq. of the isocyanide. The reaction involves formation of the nitrile followed by reaction of this product with another equivalent of the lithium reagent ... 

---