Palladium‐Catalyzed Direct Carbonylation of Bromoacetonitrile to Synthesize 2‐Cyano‐N‐acetamide and 2‐Cyanoacetate Compounds

Nitrile compounds containing ester and amide groups are important functionalized chemicals in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. In this article, an efficient and convenient palladium-catalyzed carbonylative procedure toward 2-cyano-N-acetamide and 2-cyanoacetate compounds has been developed. The reaction proceeds under mild conditions via radical intermediate which is suitable for late-stage functionalization. Gram-scale experiment was performed successfully under low catalyst loading and gave the target product in excellent yield. Additionally, this transformation can be performed under atmospheric pressure and provide alternative routes to 7 drug precursors.