Palladium-Catalyzed Regioselective Direct Cyanation of Acetanilide Derivatives with K4[Fe(CN)6] by C–H Bond Activation

A practical, versatile, and efficient method for the palladium-catalyzed direct cyanation of readily available acetanilides with K4[Fe(CN)6] as a safe cyanating agent through C–H bond activation with excellent C2 regioselectivity was developed. This finding represents a new strategy for the synthesis of N-(2-cyanoaryl)acetamides, which are important structural motifs in natural products and pharmaceuticals.