Iodine as a novel and efficient reagent for the synthesis of α-aminonitriles by a three-component condensation of carbonyl compounds, amines, and trimethylsilyl cyanide

A straightforward and general method has been developed for the synthesis of α-aminonitriles by simply combining aldehydes or ketones, amines, and trimethylsilyl cyanides in the presence of a catalytic amount of molecular iodine at room temperature.