potassium hydroxide in water T=-10°C;

sodium hydroxide

1: 37.8 percent / mercuric cyanide, nitromethane / Heating 2: 0.1 N NaOMe / methanol / 2 h / Ambient temperature 3: 41.4 percent / KOH / ethanol / 96 h / Ambient temperature 4: 70.6 percent / H2 / 10 percent Pd/C / methanol / 100 h / 760 Torr View Scheme

potassium hydroxide Yield given. Multistep reaction;