Iodine (I₂) has been successfully utilized as a highly efficient and simple catalyst for the cyanosilylation of a wide range of aldehydes using trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) under mild and environmentally benign conditions. The reaction demonstrates remarkable efficiency, proceeding smoothly within a short time span of 10–60 minutes, even at ambient temperature, with only a very low catalyst loading of 1 mol%. Toluene serves as an effective solvent medium, ensuring high reactivity and reproducibility of results.

A notable advantage of this catalytic system is its broad substrate scope and excellent functional group tolerance. Both aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes undergo cyanosilylation efficiently, regardless of the electronic nature of the substituents present. Aldehydes bearing electron-withdrawing groups (such as nitro, halogen, or cyano substituents) as well as those containing electron-donating groups (such as alkyl, alkoxy, or hydroxyl substituents) are well accommodated in this transformation. The catalyst thus provides a versatile, practical, and high-yielding route to the corresponding cyanohydrin silyl ethers, making it an attractive alternative to traditional Lewis acid catalysts.