Nickel-Catalyzed Markovnikov Transfer Hydrocyanation in the Absence of Lewis Acid.

Hydrocyanation in the absence of toxic HCN gas is highly desirable. Addressing that challenge, transition-metal-catalyzed transfer hydrocyanation using safe HCN precursors has been developed, but these reagents generally require a Lewis acid for activation, and the control of regioselectivity often remains problematic. In this Letter, a Ni-catalyzed highly Markovnikov-selective transfer hydrocyanation that operates in the absence of any Lewis acid is reported. The readily prepared pro-aromatic 1-isopropylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1-carbonitrile is used as the HCN source, and the reaction shows a broad substrate scope and high functional group tolerance. Terminal styrene derivatives, dienes, and internal alkynes are converted with good to excellent selectivities. Mechanistic studies provide insights into the origin of the regioselectivity.