Lewis Acid-Controlled Pd-Catalyzed Chemodivergent Hydrocyanation of Cyclopropenes

Due to the multifaceted reactivities of cyclopropenes, the divergent hydrofunctionalization of these compounds has recently attracted significant attention. Herein, we present a Pd-catalyzed hydrocyanation of cyclopropenes via aluminum Lewis acid-controlled divergent chemoselectivity. In this study, the presence of aluminum Lewis acid plays an pivotal role on the reaction pathway. In the absence of aluminum Lewis acid, the reaction predominantly yields ring-opening hydrocyanation products, whereas the addition of Lewis acid directs the formation of ring-retentive products.