Oxygen transfer reaction of haloalkyl amides catalyzed by phenylboronic acid

Abstract

Amide dehydration is an important reaction to access organonitrile compounds harboring high synthetic value, however, the reaction relies on harsh dehydrating reagents or transition metals. Here, the authors develop an oxygen transfer reaction to generate hydroxyalkyl nitriles from sequential dehydration and hydrolysis of haloalkyl amides catalyzed by phenylboronic acid.