Malononitrile derivatives are important intermediates in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds. 1 Alkylmalononitriles are obtained easily from the direct reaction of malononitrile anion with alkyl halides, whereas aryl halides do not react with the anion under the same conditions. Several synthetic routes2 to arylmalononitriles have appeared but these involve compli- cated procedures with multiple steps, produce low yields, or are not of general ...
