α-Bromonitriles represented an important synthetic building block. They have been used to prepare compounds containing cyanoalkyl groups. However, their coupling reactions under palladium catalysis remains unexplored. This reaction presents two challenges: firstly, α-bromonitriles may coordinate with palladium and lower its catalytic activity. Second, they tend to undergo β-hydrogen elimination. To solve these problems, we developed a palladium-catalyzed Heck coupling between α-bromonitriles and terminal alkenes. This operationally simple protocol proceeds under mild conditions, and exhibits broad functional group compatibility as well as a wide substrate scope. Furthermore, the method is applicable to the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceutical molecules, demonstrating its potential for synthetic applications.

Key words: α-bromonitriles, palladium-catalyzed, terminal alkenes, Heck-type reaction