An investigation of the reactivity of oxypyridinium salts with malononitrile nucleophiles

Over the past decade, oxypyridinium salts have been proven to be efficient and successful cation precursors in reactions with a variety of nucleophiles including alcohols, carboxylic acids, aromatic rings, and amines under mild, nearly neutral conditions. The Albiniak lab has been focused on tuning the reactivity of these salts, allowing for coupling with a wider array of nucleophilic partners. This thesis will focus on the preliminary findings of the reaction of several differentially substituted oxypyridinium salts with a variety of monosubstituted malononitriles. These malononitrile derivatives have the potential to serve as carbon nucleophiles, allowing for the creation of new carbon-carbon bonds, the cornerstone of organic synthesis. This new reaction would also provide a simple route for the synthesis of differentially disubstituted malononitriles, which have shown promise as intermediates and products for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries.Thesis (M.S.