Copper-catalyzed aerobic conversion of the C=O bond of ketones to a C≡N bond using ammonium salts as the nitrogen source.

The conversion of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O bond of ketones to a C[triple bond, length as m-dash]N bond is described. This conversion is catalyzed by copper salts with ammonium salts as the nitrogen source in the presence of molecular oxygen. A wide variety of ketones can be converted into the corresponding compounds containing a C[triple bond, length as m-dash]N bond. Based on the preliminary experiments, a plausible mechanism of this transformation is disclosed.