Photoinduced Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Cyanation of Aromatic Halides at Room Temperature

Abstract

Abstract The first photoinduced copper(I)‐catalyzed cyanation of aromatic halides at room temperature has been developed. The sp 2 cyanation reaction exhibits outstanding tolerance to functional groups including primary amines and carboxylic acids, and chemoselectivity to S N 2‐reactive alkyl chlorides. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the reaction occurs via a single‐electron transfer (SET) between the aryl halide and an excited copper(I) cyanide catalytic intermediate. magnified image