4-Cyanophenylacetic acid can be used as a nitrile precursor to synthesize 1,2,4,5-tetrazines by reacting with aliphatic nitriles and hydrazine in the presence of Lewis acid metal catalysts.
It can also be used as a reactant to prepare:
- 4-pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalin-4-ylbenzonitrile by copper-catalyzed reaction with 1-(2-aminoaryl)pyrrole in the presence of 2,2′-bipyridyl as the ligand.
- 4-(1,2-Diphenyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)benzonitrile by one-pot three-component reaction with N-phenylbenzamidine and nitromethane via activation of C-H and N-H bonds.
- 4-Cyano-N,N-di-2-propen-1-ylbenzeneacetamide by reacting with diallylamine.
