One-Pot Synthesis of Nitriles from Aldehydes Enabled by Amino-λ ³ -iodane

A practical one-pot synthesis of nitriles from aldehydes mediated by amino-λ³-iodane under chromatography-free conditions is reported herein. Amino-λ³-iodane reagent 1, as an efficient cyanating agent, undergoes nucleophilic addition with aldehydes to form imines, followed by elimination of the resulting imines, which is facilitated by the excellent leaving-group ability of the iodine(III) center to afford nitrile products. This protocol proceeds smoothly with a broad scope of aldehydes, delivering the corresponding nitriles in good to excellent yields under base-free conditions.