Direct cyanation of picolinamides using K4[Fe(CN)6] as the cyanide source
The efficient, simple, and environment-friendly route of direct cyanation of picolinamides has been developed with nontoxic K4[Fe(CN)6] as the cyanide source through Pdcatalyzed C-H bond activation. A series of N-(naphthalene-1- yl)picolinamide derivatives were successfully transformed to the corresponding cyanation products. The cyanation mechanism has also been speculated.