Nitriles are important starting materials for the preparation of amines, amides, carboxylic acids, aldehydes, esters, and ketones 1 and they are also industrially important for the production of polymers, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and dyes. 2 The classical methods for the preparation of nitriles include Kolbe nitrile synthesis, 3 ammoxidation of aldehydes, 4 hydrocyanation of alkenes, 5 Sandmeyer reaction of diazonium salts, 6 and Rosenmund–von Braun ...