A Convenient Esterification of N-Heteroarene Methanols via C-CN Bond Cleavage of Benzoyl Cyanides as Acylating Sources

An efficient and straightforward methodology for the esterification of various N-heteroarene methanols using benzoyl cyanides as acylating sources through a simply mixing conditions has been reported. The acyl groups were in-situ generated via chemoselective C-CN bond cleavage to give the N-heteroarenemethyl esters. This process features in readily accessible starting materials and offers an easy operational procedure, and broad substrate scope with excellent selectivity.