A Titanium‐Catalyzed Reductive α‐Desulfonylation

A titanium(III)‐catalyzed desulfonylation gives access to functionalized alkyl nitrile building blocks from α‐sulfonyl nitriles, circumventing traditional base‐mediated α‐alkylation conditions and strong single electron donors. The reaction tolerates numerous functional groups including free alcohols, esters, amides, and it can be applied also to the α‐desulfonylation of ketones. In addition, a one‐pot desulfonylative alkylation is demonstrated. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate a catalyst‐dependent mechanism involving a homolytic C−S cleavage.