Fe-Catalyzed Direct Synthesis of Nitriles from Carboxylic Acids with Electron-Deficient N-Cyano-N-aryl–arylsulfonamide

Established carboxylic acids to nitriles conversion methods suffer from expensive catalysts, tedious steps, high temperatures (>200 °C), high pressure, or a narrow substrate range. Herein, we demonstrate a concise and efficient access to diverse nitrile compounds from ubiquitous carboxylic acids with electron-deficient N-cyano-N-aryl–arylsulfonamide (NCAS) in moderate to excellent yields. This strategy is promoted by an inexpensive iron catalyst and is generally compatible with primary, secondary, tertiary, and aryl carboxylic acids, as well as a variety of functional groups.