Peterson olefination synthetic utility

Due to their synthetic utility and pharmaceutical applications, a number of synthetic routes to a,P-unsatuiated nitriles have been developed. Classical methods include dehydration of amides [15] or aldoximes [16], Wittig- [17] and Peterson-type [18, 19] olefination processes, ammoxidation of alkenes [20], and carbocyanation of alkynes [21], These approaches suffer variously from high waste generation, low yields and poor stereoselectivity. As such the transition metal-catalysed cyanation of vinyl halides is an attractive route for the synthesis of alkaiyl nitriles. Whilst several instances of such transformations have been reported in the literature, the area remains underdeveloped, particularly in comparison to analagous cyanations of aryl halides. 

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