Abstract
| - Treatment of alcohols with an excess of (cyanomethyl)trimethylphosphonium iodide leads, after aqueoushydrolysis, to the clean formation of nitriles with two morecarbon atoms than present in the original alcohol. Benzylic,allylic, and aliphatic alcohols without β-branching (RCH2CH2OH) have been converted to nitriles with success. Therequired phosphonium iodide is simple to prepare and canbe stored for a long time at room temperature.
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