10.1002/anie.201006763
This study aims to develop a new synthetic strategy for the preparation of a-aryl nitriles, which are valuable intermediates for various chemical syntheses and have biological activities. This study introduces a palladium-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reaction involving readily available cyanoacetates and aryl halides or triflates. Sodium cyanoacetate (NaOOCCN) is the main reactant to carry out the decarboxylative coupling. It provides the nitrile group in the final product. The palladium catalyst plays a crucial role in promoting the decarboxylation process, while the ligand helps in optimizing the reaction conditions. The study concluded that this new method has several advantages over the traditional methods, such as good selectivity for monoarylation, tolerance to various functional groups, and the ability to use a variety of aryl halides and triflates as substrates. In addition, the concept of decarboxylative coupling is extended to carbonyl compounds, providing an alternative method for the synthesis of a-aryl esters. This work not only expands the scope of catalytic decarboxylative coupling reactions but also shows practical benefits in terms of reagent accessibility and reaction scope.