Acyl cyanide
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Acyl_cyanide.svg/170px-Acyl_cyanide.svg.png)
General chemical structure of an acyl cyanide
In organic chemistry, an acyl cyanide is a functional group consisting of an acyl group (RC(O)) attached to cyanide (CN). Examples include acetyl cyanide, formyl cyanide, and oxalyl dicyanide. Acyl cyanides are reagents in organic synthesis.[1][2]
Synthesis[]
Classically acyl cyanides are produced by the salt metathesis reaction of acyl chlorides with sodium cyanide:
- RCOCl + NaCN → RC(O)CN + NaCl
Alternatively, they can be produced by dehydration of acyl aldoximes:
- RC(O)CH=NOH → RC(O)CN + H2O
Acetyl cyanide is also prepared by hydrocyanation of ketene:
- CH2=C=O + HCN → CH3C(O)CN
Reactions[]
They are mild acylating agents.[2] With aqueous base, acyl cyanides break down to cyanide and the carboxylate:[3]
- RC(O)CN + 2 NaOH → RCO2Na + NaCN + H2O
With azides, acyl cyanides undergo the click reaction to give acyl tetrazoles.[4]
References[]
- ^ Liu, Bing; Wang, Yong; Chen, Ying; Wu, Qian; Zhao, Jing; Sun, Jianwei (2018). "Stereoselective Synthesis of Fully-Substituted Acrylonitriles via Formal Acylcyanation of Electron-Rich Alkynes". Organic Letters. 20 (12): 3465–3468. doi:10.1021/acs.orglett.8b01180. PMID 29873500. S2CID 46942109.
- ^ a b Morris, Joel (2001). "Acetyl Cyanide". Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis. doi:10.1002/047084289X.ra026. ISBN 0471936235.
- ^ Hünig, Siegfried; Schaller, Rainer (1982). "The Chemistry of Acyl Cyanides". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 21: 36–49. doi:10.1002/anie.198200361.
- ^ Demko, Zachary P.; Sharpless, K. Barry (2002). "A Click Chemistry Approach to Tetrazoles by Huisgen 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition: Synthesis of 5-Acyltetrazoles from Azides and Acyl Cyanides". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 41 (12): 2113–2116. doi:10.1002/1521-3773(20020617)41:12<2113::AID-ANIE2113>3.0.CO;2-Q. PMID 19746613.
Categories:
- Functional groups
- Organic compounds
- Acyl cyanides