Rapid and regioselective synthesis of mono-, di- and multi-cyanofunctionalized (poly)siloxanes via Ni-catalyzed hydrocyanation of vinyl(poly)siloxanes

Traditional methods for synthesizing functionalized siloxanes often rely on noble metal catalysts and less accessible functionalized alkenes via hydrosilylation, which largely limit their applicability. Herein, we describe a novel, efficient and anti-Markovnikov regioselective Ni-catalyzed hydrocyanation of readily available vinyl(poly)siloxanes to produce various linear mono-, di- and multi-cyanofunctionalized (poly)siloxanes. This protocol exhibits good functional group tolerance and, through sequential hydrocyanation of vinyl polysiloxanes and polymerization of the resulting cyanosiloxanes, enables the efficient modular synthesis of various cyanofunctionalized silicone derivatives.