The cyano group has proven to be a versatile and valuable building block in the synthesis of sultams. It can directly participate in the formation of the sultam skeleton or serve as an activator for adjacent positions. The most common transformation involving the nitrile group is the CSIC reaction, where the nitrile acts as an electrophilic center for attack by a carbanion, leading to the formation of enamines and subsequent cyclization. Additionally, the nitrile's acceptor properties enable the introduction of substituents into α-positions through alkylation or cyclization reactions. The acceptability of nitriles is crucial for activating unsaturated bonds in various [3 + 2] and [4 + 2] cycloadditions, as well as in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with nitrile oxides to form fused sultam derivatives.