Nickel-catalyzed hydrogenolysis of unactivated carbon-cyano bonds

Selective hydrogenolysis of C-CN bonds can allow chemists to take advantage of ortho-directing ability, alpha-C-H acidity and electron withdrawing ability of the cyano group for synthetic manipulations. We have discovered hydrogenolysis of aryl and aliphatic cyanides under just 1 bar of hydrogen by using a nickel catalyst. This protocol was applied in the aryl cyanide directed functionalization reaction and alpha-substitution of benzyl cyanides.