A Cyanide-Free Synthesis of Acylcyanides through Ru-Catalyzed C(sp)-H-Oxidation of Benzylic Nitriles.

A practical method for generation of acylcyanides devoid of any external cyanide sources is presented that relies on a mild Ru-catalyzed selective C-H-oxidation of benzylic nitriles. The starting materials are smoothly generated through condensation of the corresponding carboxylic acid amides using silanes. The obtained acylcyanides can be employed in a plethora of transformation as exemplified to some larger extend in the sequence of C-H-oxidation-Tischenko-rearrangement for the generation of structurally diverse benzoyloxycyanohydrines.