Hypervalent Iodine(III)-Promoted Phenyl Transfer Reaction from Phenyl Hydrazides to Nitriles

A useful transformation of nitriles to N-phenyl amides has been achieved through a novel intermolecular phenyl transfer reaction from phenyl hydrazides and N-addition to nitriles in the presence of PIFA under mild and solvent-free conditions. This cross-coupling reaction includes the oxidative cleavage of sp2 C-N bonds of phenyl hydrazides to form a phenyl radical and the subsequent N-addition to cyanos to form new sp2 C-N bonds and provides efficient access to various N-phenyl amides in moderate to good yields under mild reaction conditions.