A Facile One-Pot Synthesis of 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carbonitriles via the Electrogenerated Cyanide Anions from Acetonitrile

The electrosynthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carbonitriles by acetonitrile reduction is a green and safe strategy to replace the traditional cyanation. Herein, we have obtained the 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-1-carbonitrile in good yields by a simple reaction between dihydroisoquinolin-2-ium iodide and the electrogenerated acetonitrile formed under low temperature conditions, when a solution of dry acetonitrile is electrolyzed at a Carbon rod as cathode and a magnesium plate as anode in undivided cell. © 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim