Silver-Mediated Cyanomethylation of Cinnamamides by Direct C(sp3)-H Functionalization of Acetonitrile.

An efficient, silver-induced tandem radical addition/cyclization for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydroquinolinones is presented, which exhibits a good functional group tolerance. The reaction is easy to operate and amenable to a multigram-scale synthesis. Additionally, this work illustrates the formation of a key skeleton for the synthesis of biologically interesting 3,4-dihydroquinolinone alkaloids.