HCl·DMPU-assisted one-pot and metal-free conversion of aldehydes to nitriles

We report an efficient HCl·DMPU assisted one-pot conversion of aldehydes into nitriles. The use of HCl·DMPU as both an acidic source as well as a non-nucleophilic base constitutes an environmentally mild alternative for the preparation of nitriles. Our protocol proceeds smoothly without the use of toxic reagents and metal catalysts. Diverse functionalized aromatic, aliphatic and allylic aldehydes incorporating various functional groups were successfully converted to nitriles in excellent to quantitative yields. This protocol is characterized by a broad substrate scope, mild reaction conditions, and high scalability. We have reported an efficient and benign approach of HCl·DMPU mediated nitrile synthesis from readily available starting materials. The procedure is operationally simple, has a broad substrate scope and the products are obtained in very good yields.