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

Abstract

Abstract The 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