Direct Cyanation of Picolinamides Using K4[Fe(CN)6] as the Cyanide Source

The efficient, simple, and environment-friendly route of direct cyanation of picolinamides has been developed with nontoxic K4[Fe(CN)6] as the cyanide source through Pd-catalyzed C–H bond activation. A series of N-(naphthalene-1-yl)picolinamide derivatives were successfully transformed to the corresponding cyanation products. The cyanation mechanism has also been speculated.