Aerobic ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative cyanation of tertiary amines with sodium cyanide.

RuCl3-catalyzed oxidative cyanation of tertiary amines with sodium cyanide under molecular oxygen (1 atm) at 60 degrees C gives the corresponding alpha-aminonitriles, which are versatile synthetic intermediates of various compounds such as amino acids and unsymmetrical 1,2-diamines, in excellent yields. This reaction is clean and should be an environmentally benign and useful process.