How does the Ritter reaction produce primary amines with tertiary alkyl groups?

The Ritter reaction is an industrial method used to prepare primary amines containing a tertiary alkyl group ($R_{3}CN{H}_2$), which are otherwise difficult to synthesize using standard alkylation techniques.1

The process involves the following steps:

• Formation of Formamide: A tertiary alcohol reacts with hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the presence of a concentrated strong acid. This reaction produces a formamide intermediate ($RNH\text{—}CHO$).1
• Hydrolysis: The resulting formamide then undergoes hydrolysis to yield the final primary amine.1

This method is particularly valuable because direct substitution reactions with alkyl halides often fail when attempting to introduce tertiary alkyl groups due to the steric hindrance and sluggish reactivity associated with those structures.1