The Construction of X–CN (X=N, S, O) Bonds

Abstract

AbstractThe cyano moiety is a common and important functional group that exists in a myriad of medicinal molecules and natural products. Moreover, nitriles serve as versatile precursors that can readily be converted into diverse functional groups as well as the nitrogen‐containing cyclic molecules. As a result, cyanation has become a significant type of transformation in organic chemistry. However, in comparison with the well‐developed C‐cyanation, few works have been reported dealing with the N‐, S‐ and O‐cyanation processes. Apart from the classical von Braun reaction, chemists have developed a number of methods with various cyanating reagents to achieve such X‐cyanations (X=N, S, O). In this review, recent advances (especially those after 2000) in the X–CN (X=N, S, O) bond formation are summarized with discussion and the outlooks are also listed.magnified image