Abstract: A romatic nitriles undergo hydrozirconation with Schwartz reagent under mild conitions. Aromatic aldehydes or N-acylimines and N-acylamines are obtain-ad when the reaction intermediates of hydrozirconation are hydrolyzed or treated with acyl chlorides. N-acylimines are unstable and react at room temperature with methanol to give N-(a-methoxybenzyl) benzamides.Aromatic nitriles can also react with excess of Schwartz reagent to give diacyl compounds in which the two acyl groups are connected to carbon and nitrogen atoms in the nitrile group, respectively.

Key words: Aromatic nitrile, Acyl chloride, Hydrozirconation, Acylation