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Cyanohydrin formation template
Premium template. Preview and edit it free in MolDraw; downloading and exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro.
Cyanide attacks acetaldehyde and HCN protonates the alkoxide, giving lactonitrile and regenerating cyanide.
Mechanism step by step
Cyanide adds to C=O, making a new C–C bond; HCN protonates the alkoxide
- Cyanide adds – C⁻ attacks the carbonyl carbon
- Protonation – HCN protonates O and gives back CN⁻
Key points
- Cyanide is the catalyst: it is regenerated in step 2.
- Nucleophilic addition, not substitution: C=O has no leaving group.
- Unsymmetrical ketones give a racemic product (attack from either face).
- Hydrolysis turns the nitrile into an α-hydroxy acid.
Drawn with 33 atoms, 7 arrows, 4 shapes – every one editable in MolDraw.
Sources
How to use this template
- Press Edit in MolDraw. The template opens on the canvas of the free MolDraw editor.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Cyanohydrin formation template free?
You can preview the Cyanohydrin formation template here and open and edit it in MolDraw for free. Downloading or exporting it is part of MolDraw Pro, together with the other premium templates.
Can I edit the Cyanohydrin formation template?
Yes. It opens as an ordinary MolDraw drawing, so every structure, arrow, label and colour can be changed, and you can add your own content around it.
Is the chemistry checked?
Every structure is checked with RDKit and every curly arrow passes MolDraw’s electron-flow audit. The sources used are listed on this page.
What is a curly-arrow mechanism template?
A ready-made drawing of a reaction mechanism in which curved arrows show where electron pairs move in each step. You can open it in MolDraw, change the substrate and reuse it.