Potassium tert-Butoxide Mediated Arylation of 2-Substituted Malononitriles Using Diaryliodonium Salts

Direct arylation of 2-substituted malononitriles using diaryliodonium salts without involving transition-metal catalysts was developed. By using potassium tert -butoxide as a promoter, the desired 2-substituated α-arylmalononitriles derivatives were synthesized in good to excellent yields of 55–96%. This synthetic method provided an efficient way to prepare a variety of 2-substituted arylmalononitriles which were useful in agrochemicals.