A novel modification of the Ritter reaction using trimethylsilyl cyanide

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(96)01890-4

A new modification of the Ritter reaction using trimethylsilyl cyanide (Me₃SiCN) is described, which converts alcohols to their corresponding formamides in high yields using a convenient procedure. The reaction conditions and mechanism are discussed. In some cases, new formamides are synthesized which cannot be prepared by the classical Ritter reaction.