para-Selective C-H Amidation of Simple Arenes with Nitriles.

A para-selective C¢H amidation of simple arenes with nitriles has been developed. By increasing the amount of arenes, a further meta-selective C¢H arylation of the produced amides occurred. Both steric and electronic effects are utilized to control the selectivity, resulting in only para-selective amidation products. The readily available nitriles as amidation reagents instead of amides makes the synthesis of N-arylamides more accessible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]