In organic chemistry, a cyanohydrin or hydroxynitrile is a functional group found in in which a Cyanide and a hydroxy group are attached to the same carbon atom. The general formula is , where R is H, alkyl, or aryl. Cyanohydrins are industrially important precursors to and some . Cyanohydrins can be formed by the cyanohydrin reaction, which involves treating a ketone or an aldehyde with hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the presence of excess amounts of sodium cyanide (NaCN) as a catalyst:
In this reaction, the nucleophilic ion attacks the electrophilic carbonyl carbon in the ketone, followed by protonation by HCN, thereby regenerating the cyanide anion. Cyanohydrins are also prepared by displacement of sulfite by cyanide salts:
Cyanohydrins are intermediates in the Strecker amino acid synthesis. In aqueous acid, they are hydrolyzed to the α-hydroxy acid.
Preparative methods
Cyanohydrins are traditionally prepared by the addition of HCN to the corresponding carbonyl. The reaction is typically catalyzed by base or an enzyme.
Because of the hazards with HCN, other less dangerous cyanation reagents are often used.
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Trimethylsilyl cyanide, affording the silyl ether derivative of the cyanohydrin
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Diethylaluminium cyanide, especially for less reactive carbonyls
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Diethyl phosphorocyanidate (DEPC) and lithium cyanide
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(RC(O)CN)
Transhydrocyanation
Acetone cyanohydrin, (CH
3)
2C(OH)CN is the cyanohydrin of
acetone. It is generated as an intermediate in the industrial production of methyl methacrylate.
[William Bauer, Jr. "Methacrylic Acid and Derivatives" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2002, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. . Article Online Posting Date: June 15, 2000] In the laboratory, this liquid serves as a source of HCN. The process is called
transhydrocyanation, where acetone cyanohydrin, is used as a source of HCN.
[Haroutounian, S. A. "Acetone Cyanohydrin" Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis 2001, John Wiley & Sons. ] Thus, acetone cyanohydrin can be used for the preparation of other cyanohydrins, for the transformation of HCN to Michael addition, and for the formylation of . Treatment of this cyanohydrin with lithium hydride affords anhydrous lithium cyanide:
Asymmetric cyanohydrin formation
Formation of cyanohydrins introduces a chiral center for aldehydes and for unsymmetrical ketones. The enantioselective hydrocyanation has attracted some attention for the preparation of 2-chloromandelic acid, a drug precursor.[
]
File:Glyconitrile Structural FormulaV1.svg|glycolonitrile, also called hydroxyacetonitrile or formaldehyde cyanohydrin, is the simplest cyanohydrin.[
File:Amygdalin structure.svg|Amygdalin, a naturally occurring cyanogenic glycoside
]
See also
External links
