Ds. Bose et B. Jayalakshmi, A practical method for the preparation of nitriles from primary amides under non-acidic conditions, SYNTHESIS-S, (1), 1999, pp. 64-65
In order to establish a mild conversion method of primary amides to nitrile
s, various types of carboxamides were treated with trifluoromethanesulfonic
anhydride and triethylamine, as a dehydrating agent to obtain the desired
nitriles in 84-95% yields.