Nickel/AlMe(2)Cl-catalysed carbocyanation of alkynes using arylacetonitriles.

Nickel/Lewis acid dual catalysis was found to effect the carbocyanation reaction of alkynes using arylacetonitriles, giving a range of triply substituted acrylonitriles; the reaction of optically active alpha-phenylpropionitrile suggested a reaction mechanism that involves oxidative addition of a C-CN bond with retention of its absolute configuration.