Nitriles and cyanide chemistry

By the end you’ll be able to

• Describe the formation of nitriles from halogenoalkanes using $CN^-$ as a nucleophile.
• Explain how nitriles are hydrolysed to carboxylic acids or related products under acidic or alkaline conditions.
• Predict and apply the reduction of nitriles to primary amines in synthesis routes.
• Use nitriles to extend carbon chains in multistep organic synthesis.