A green and efficient access to aryl nitriles via an electrochemical anodic oxidation

The nitrile functionality is a key building block in synthetic chemistry, and has wide applications in pharmaceuticals. However, traditional methodologies for the synthesis of nitriles are limited to harsh reaction conditions. Herein, we report a new and efficient access to aryl nitriles by an electrochemical synthesis. Compared with the conventional synthetic methods, this electrochemical synthesis is more environmentally friendly and easier to handle. (C) 2014 Zheng-Gen Zha and Zhi-Yong Wang. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.