Asymmetric addition of hydrogen cyanide to aliphatic aldehydes catalyzed by a synthetic cyclic peptide, cyclo[(S)‐phenylalanyl‐(S)‐histidyl]

The asymmetric addition of hydrogen cyanide to an aliphatic aldehyde, catalyzed by a synthetic dipeptide, cyclo[(S)‐phenylalanyl‐(S)‐histidyl] (1), leads to a product having a higher optical yield than that reported for the reaction using an enzyme (D‐oxynitrilase) as catalyst.