Direct Conversion of Benzyl Ethers into Aryl Nitriles

A direct method was developed for the conversion of benzyl ethers into aryl nitriles by using NH4OAc as the nitrogen source and oxygen as the terminal oxidant with catalysis by TEMPO/HNO3; the method is valuable for both the synthesis of aromatic nitriles and for the deprotection of ether-protected hydroxy groups to form nitrile groups in multistep organic syntheses.