A new method has been developed for the synthesis of chiral beta-amido cyanides by means of the regioselective cleavage of beta-lactams in the presence of a TMSOTf catalyst and RCN.
Kita, Yasuyuki; Shibata, Norio; Kawano, Noriyuki, Journal of the Chemical Society. Perkin transactions I, 1996, # 18, p. 2321 - 2329