Palladium/N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Mono- and Double-Cyanation of Aryl Halides Using Potassium Ferrocyanide Trihydrate under Aerobic Conditions

A practical palladium/N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed procedure for the mono- and double-cyanation of aryl halides is described using inexpensive, easy-to-handle and nontoxic potassium ferrocyanide trihydrate {K4[Fe(CN)6]·3H2O} as the cyanating agent. The reaction does not require an anhydrous solvent, or the exclusion of air or moisture. A variety of electron-rich and electron-deficient aryl halides are efficiently converted into their corresponding nitriles and dicarbonitriles.