Cyanation of Aryl and Heteroaryl Aldehydes Using In‐Situ‐Synthesized Ag Nanoparticles in Crocus sativus L. Extract

An efficient, inexpensive and simple methodology has been reported for the cyanation of aryl and heteroaryl aldehydes using in situ synthesized silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with the use of Crocus sativus L. aqueous extract as a reducing and stabilizing biomedia. Furthermore, stable and cheap silver precursor (AgNO3) along with the non-toxic, efficient and inexpensive cyanide source K4[Fe(CN)6] are used for this reaction. This system provides an alternative protocol to the existing methods for the synthesis of aryl and heteroaryl nitriles. All products were obtained in good to excellent yields under ligand- and organic solvent-free conditions. The fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques were used for the characterization of the biosynthesized Ag NPs.