Mild and Most Efficient Silylcyanation of Aldehydes Catalyzed by Cesium Fluoride

Cesium fluoride (CsF) catalyzes the addition of trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) to various aldehydes. Aromatic, aliphatic, cyclic and heterocyclic aldehydes have been converted into the corresponding trimethylsilyl ethers. Most of the aldehydes show over 99% yield for 20min. The mechanism of silylcyanation has been proposed.