Conversions of aryl carboxylic acids into aryl nitriles using multiple types of Cu-mediated decarboxylative cyanation under aerobic conditions.

Here, we used malononitrile or AMBN as a cyanating agent to develop efficient and practical protocols for Cu-mediated decarboxylative cyanations, under aerobic conditions, of aryl carboxylic acids bearing nitro and methoxyl substituents at the ortho position as well as of heteroaromatic carboxylic acids. These protocols involved economical methods to synthesize value-added aryl nitriles from simple and inexpensive raw materials. Further diversification of the 2-nitrobenzonitrile product was performed to highlight the practicality of the protocols.

Copper-mediated trifluoroacetylation of indoles with ethyl trifluoropyruvate.

Direct trifluoroacetylation of indoles with ethyl trifluoropyruvate as a trifluoroacetylating reagent has been developed. This novel protocol provides an attractive route for the preparation of 3-trifluoroacetylindole derivatives, due to its operational simplicity and practicability as well as mild reaction conditions.