The nitrile functionality is synthetically versatile for many functional group conversions. 1 Incorporation of a nitrile fragment into a carbon framework provides rapid access to a number of useful chemicals such as α-amino and α-hydroxy carboxylic acid derivatives as well as nitrile-branching polymers. Concerned with this goal, cyanation strategies 2 have been most widely employed so far. In contrast, aldol-type reactions of alkylnitriles are those in which nitriles serve as ...
