Patent ID: 7939688

Claim:
A process for preparing nitriles of the formula (II) R—C≡N (II) comprising reacting a reaction solution comprising N-alkylcarboxamides of the formula RCO—NHR 1 or ammonium salts of carboxylic acids of the formula RCOO − NH 3 R 1+ or carboxylic acids in the presence of alkylamines or ammonium salts of the formulae RCOOH+NH 2 R 1 ,RCOOH+NH 3 R 1+ where R is an arbitrarily substituted linear or branched C 1 -C 12 -alkyl radical, a C 3 -C 12 cycloalkyl radical, alkenyl radical, alkynyl radical or an aryl radical or heteroaryl radical and R 1 is an arbitrarily substituted, linear or branched, C 2 -C 12 -alkyl radical, a C 3 -C 12 -cycloalkyl radical, alkenyl radical, alkynyl radical, with phosphonic anhydrides in the presence or absence of a base in an organic solvent at a reaction temperature in the range from −30 to 180° C., wherein the phosphonic anhydride is propanephosphonic anhydride.