The selective functionalization of nitriles is a powerful strategy for the synthesis and diversification of organic molecules. Most current methods require harsh reagents and suffer from poor chemoselectivity. In addition, the one-pot conversion of a nitrile into an alcohol is a relatively unexplored transformation. Cobalt boride, typically formed in situ from cobalt(II) chloride and sodium borohydride, has previously been shown to facilitate the reduction of nitriles to amines. This work studies the application of cobalt boride to mediate the direct conversion of nitriles into alcohols under mild conditions in aqueous solvents. Reaction optimization studies were performed on benzonitrile, followed by exploration of the functional group tolerance and substrate scope of the reaction.

Studies of the cobalt boride-mediated conversion of nitriles to alcohols

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