Efficient synthesis of amides from secondary alcohols and CHCN promoted by Fe(NO)·9HO.

The Ritter reaction is the most attractive method for synthesizing amides, and various acids have been used to promote this reaction. Compared to these acids, Fe(NO)·9HO is less toxic and costly, and it shows relatively high Lewis acidity and great catalytic activity. In this study, a simple and efficient protocol involving Fe(NO)·9HO as an additive for the synthesis of amides was developed. Various secondary alcohols could be reacted with CHCN to obtain their corresponding products, with CHCN being used as a reactant and solvent. This protocol was found to be applicable to a wide range of alcohols and nitrile substrates. In general, it was found that substrates containing electron-donating-groups offered the corresponding amides in good to excellent yields, while those with electron-withdrawing groups offered low to moderate yields. Meanwhile, this approach was scalable to the gram level, offering an attractive opportunity for further application in organic synthesis.