 The catalytic version of the reaction involving cyanide was developed by Nikolay Zinin in the late 1830s,

The reaction is catalyzed by nucleophiles such as a cyanide or an N-heterocyclic carbene (usually thiazolium salts).The reaction mechanism was proposed in 1903 by A. J. Lapworth.In the first step in this reaction, the cyanide anion (as sodium cyanide) reacts with the aldehyde in a nucleophilic addition.