LiCl acts as a highlyeffectivecatalyst for cyanosilylation of various aldehydes and ketones to the corresponding silylated cyanohydrins. The reaction proceeds smoothly with a substrate/catalyst molar ratio of 100−100 000 at 20−25 °C under solvent-free conditions. α,β-Unsaturated aldehydes are completely converted to the 1,2-adducts. The cyanation products can be isolated by direct distillation of
Abstractmagnified imageTin ion‐exchanged montmorillonite (Sn‐Mont) was found to be a powerful catalyst for the cyanosilylation of aromatic and aliphatic ketones having a carbonyl group in sterically congested circumstances with cyanotrimethylsilane, giving the corresponding cyanohydrin trimethylsilyl ethers in excellent yields.