Cu/Ni-Catalyzed Cyanomethylation of Alkenes with Acetonitrile for the Synthesis of Β,γ-Unsaturated Nitriles

We developed a protocol for Cu/Ni-catalyzed cyanomethylation of alkenes with acetonitrile for the synthesis of β,γ-unsaturated nitriles. This is the first example of the direct coupling of alkene sp2 C-H bond and acetonitrile sp3 C-H bond for preparing β,γ-unsaturated nitriles. Acetonitrile, an inexpensive and stable solvent, is demonstrated to be a useful cyanomethyl source. The combination of copper and nickel catalysts results in high reaction efficiency.