Ferrocene catalyzed redox-neutral difunctionalization of alkenes using cycloketone oxime esters: access to distal imido-nitriles.

A novel ferrocene-catalyzed cyanoalkyl-imidation of aryl alkenes utilizing cycloketone oxime esters in MeCN under redox-neutral conditions is described. In this three-component reaction, the cycloketone oxime ester is employed as a bifunctional reagent, enabling easy access to diverse distal imido-nitriles with 100% atomic utilization. Preliminary mechanistic studies suggest that the ferrocene-ferrocenium catalytic cycle is responsible for the deconstructive functionalization of cycloketone oxime esters.