211060-12-7

Dirhodium(ii)-catalyzed ortho C-H amination of N,N-dialkylanilines has been developed. Sterically congested 1,2-diaminobenzenes were obtained in high yields with excellent chemo- and regioselectivities from para-substituted anilines and even from para-uns

The catalytic activities of a series of simple and electronically tuneable cyclometalated RuII–NHC complexes (2a–d) were explored in various C–C/N bond formations following the borrowing hydrogen process. Slight modifications in the ligand backbone were noted to tune the activities of these complexes. Among them, the complex 2d featuring a 1,2,4-triazolylidene donor with a 4-NO2–phenyl substituent displayed the highest activity for the coupling of diverse secondary and primary alcohols with a low catalyst loading of 0.01 mol% and a sub-stoichiometric amount of inexpensive KOH base. The efficacy of this simple system was further showcased in the challenging one-pot unsymmetrical double alkylation of secondary alcohols using different primary alcohols. Moreover, the complex 2d also effectively catalyses the selective mono-N-methylation of various aromatic and aliphatic primary amines using methanol to deliver a range of N-methyl amines. Mechanistically, the β-alkylation reaction follows a borrowing hydrogen pathway which was established by the deuterium labelling experiment in combination with various control experiments. Intriguingly, in situ1H NMR and ESI-MS analyses evidently suggested the involvement of a Ru–H species in the catalytic cycle and further, the kinetic studies revealed a first order dependence of the reaction rate on the catalyst as well as the alcohol concentrations.

We report herein that a borane-trimethylamine complex worked as an efficient reducing agent for the selective methylation and formylation of amines with 1 atm CO2 under metal-free conditions. 6-Amino-2-picoline serves as a highly efficient catalyst for the methylation of various secondary amines, whereas in its absence, the formylation of primary and secondary amines was achieved in high yield with high chemoselectivity. Mechanistic studies suggest that the 6-amino-2-picoline-borane catalytic system operates like an intramolecular frustrated Lewis pair to activate CO2.

Spiroimides exhibit a wide range of biological activities, such as anticonvulsant, antiarrhythmic, and antihyperglycemic activities. Herein, a novel synthetic application of renewable chemicals, itaconic acid and formamides, is described. Proper exploitation of the reactivity of itaconic acid and formamide allows for the development of an efficient synthetic approach for the production of several new biobased spiroimides, spiro[dihydroquinolin-2-one-succinimides] and spiro[indolin-2-one-glutarimides], in excellent overall yields (up to 98%).

A highly efficient and regioselective bromination of electron-rich arenes and heteroarenes using commercially available BrCCl3as a “Br” source has been developed. The reaction was performed in air under mild conditions with photocatalyst Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O, avoiding the usage of strong acids and strong oxidants. Mono-brominated products were obtained with medium to excellent yields (up to 94%). This strategy has shown good compatibility and highpara-selectivity, which will facilitate the complicated synthesis.

We herein describe an efficient, CO2-tuned and highly selective C-O bond cleavage of N-methylated formanilides. With easy-to-handle and commercially available NaBH4 as the reductant, a variety of formanilides could be turned into the desired tertiary amines in moderate to excellent yields. The role of CO2 has been investigated in detail, and the mechanism is proposed on the basis of experiments.

The invention discloses a method for realizing N-alkylation by using alcohols as a carbon source under photocatalysis, and belongs to the technical field of catalytic synthesis. Alcohol, a substrate raw material and a catalyst are placed in a reaction device, ultraviolet and/or visible light irradiation is carried out in an inert atmosphere, after the irradiation is finished, solid-liquid separation is carried out to remove the catalyst, and an N-alkylation product can be obtained through extraction, distillation and purification, wherein the substrate raw material comprises any one of an amine compound, an aromatic nitro compound or an aromatic nitrile compound, the alcohol comprises any one or more of soluble primary alcohols, and the catalyst is metal oxide/titanium dioxide or metal sulfide/titanium dioxide. The method is simple and easy to operate, can be used for efficient photocatalysis one-pot multi-step hydrogenation N-alkylation reaction, and is mild in reaction condition, high in chemical selectivity of N-alkylamine, good in catalyst stability and easy to recycle.

An efficient and versatile zinc oxide-supported iridium (Ir/ZnO) catalyst was developed to catalyze the additive-freeN-methylation of amines with methanol. Mechanistic studies suggested that the high catalytic reactivity is rooted in the small sizes (1.4 nm) of Ir nanoparticles and the high ratio (93%) of oxidized iridium species (IrOx, Ir3+and Ir4+) on the catalyst. Moreover, the delicate cooperation between the IrOxand ZnO support also promoted its high reactivity. The selectivity of this catalyticN-methylation was controllable between dimethylation and monomethylation by carefully tuning the catalyst loading and reaction solvent. Specifically, neat methanol with high catalyst loading (2 mol% Ir) favored the formation ofN,N-dimethylated amine, while the mesitylene/methanol mixture with low catalyst loading (0.5 mol% Ir) was prone to producing mono-N-methylated amines. An environmentally benign continuous flow system with a recycled mode was also developed for the efficient production ofN-methylated amines. With optimal flow rates and amine concentrations, a variety ofN-methylamines were produced with good to excellent yields in this Ir/ZnO-based flow system, providing a starting point for the clean and efficient production ofN-methylamines with this cost-effective chemical process.

Methanol can be employed as a green and sustainable methylating agent to form C-C and C-N bonds via borrowing hydrogen (BH) methodology. Herein we explored the activity of the acridine-derived SNS-Ru pincer for the activation of methanol to apply it as a C1 building block in different reactions. Our catalytic system shows great success toward the β-C(sp3)-methylation reaction of 2-phenylethanols to provide good to excellent yields of the methylated products. We investigated the mechanistic details, kinetic progress, and temperature-dependent product distribution, which revealed the slow and steady generation of in situ formed aldehyde, is the key factor to get the higher yield of the β-methylated product. To establish the environmental benefit of this reaction, green chemistry metrics are calculated. Furthermore, dimerization of 2-naphthol via methylene linkage and formation of N-methylation of amine are also described in this study, which offers a wide range of substrate scope with a good to excellent yield.

Metal hydride complexes are key intermediates forN-alkylation of amines with alcohols by the borrowing hydrogen/hydrogen autotransfer (BH/HA) strategy. Reactivity tuning of metal hydride complexes could adjust the dehydrogenation of alcohols and the hydrogenation of imines. Herein we report ruthenium(ii) complexes with hetero-bidentate N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-phosphine ligands, which realize smart pathway selection in theN-alkylated reactionviareactivity tuning of [Ru-H] species by hetero-bidentate ligands. In particular, complex6cbwith a phenyl wingtip group and BArF?counter anion, is shown to be one of the most efficient pre-catalysts for this transformation (temperature is as low as 70 °C, neat conditions and catalyst loading is as low as 0.25 mol%). A large variety of (hetero)aromatic amines and primary alcohols were efficiently converted into mono-N-alkylated amines in good to excellent isolated yields. Notably, aliphatic amines, challenging methanol and diamines could also be transformed into the desired products. Detailed control experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations provide insights to understand the mechanism and the smart pathway selectionvia[Ru-H] species in this process.

Cyclometalated ruthenium complexes4-10allow the effective methylation of anilines with methanol to selectively giveN-methylanilines. This hydrogen autotransfer procedure proceeds under mild conditions (60 °C) in a practical manner (NaOH as base). Mechanistic investigations suggest an active homogenous ruthenium complex and β-hydride elimination of methanol as the rate determining step.

An iridium complex Cp*Ir@CTF, which is synthesized by the coordinative immobilization of [Cp*IrCl2]2 on a functionalized covalent triazine framework (CTF), was found to be a general and highly efficient catalyst for the N-methylation of amines with methanol in the presence of carbonate. Under environmentally benign conditions, a variety of desirable products were obtained in high yields with complete selectivities and functional group friendliness. Furthermore, the synthesized catalyst could be recycled by simple filtration without obvious loss of catalytic activity after sixth cycle. Notably, this research exhibited the potential of covalent triazine framework-supported transition metal catalysts for hydrogen autotransfer process.

A ruthenium complex [(p-cymene)Ru(2,2′-bpyO)(H2O)] was found to be a general and efficient catalyst for the N-methylation of amines with methanol in the presence of carbonate salt. Moreover, a series of sensitive substituents, such as nitro, ester, cyano, and vinyl groups, were tolerated under present conditions. It was confirmed that OH units in the ligand are crucial for the catalytic activity. Notably, this research exhibited the potential of metal-ligand bifunctional ruthenium catalysts for the hydrogen autotransfer process.

A series of air-stable N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) Ir(III) complexes (Ir1-6), bearing various combinations of chlorine, pyridine and NHC ligands, were assayed for the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols. It was found that Ir3, with two monodentate 1,3-bis-methyl-imidazolylidene (IMe) ligands, emerged as the most active complex. A large variety of amines and primary alcohols were efficiently converted into mono-N-alkylated amines in 53–96% yields. As a special highlight, for the challenging MeOH, selective N-monomethylation could be achieved using KOH as a base under an air atmosphere. Moreover, this catalytic system was successfully applied to the gram-scale synthesis of some valuable compounds.

Methanol is a potential hydrogen source and C1 synthon, which finds interesting applications in both chemical synthesis and energy technologies. The effective utilization of this simple alcohol in organic synthesis is of central importance and attracts scientific interest. Herein, we report a clean and cost-competitive method with the use of methanol as both C1 synthon and H2 source for selective N-methylation of amines by employing relatively cheap RuCl3.xH2O as a ligand-free catalyst. This readily available catalyst tolerates various amines comprising electron-deficient and electron-donating groups and allows them to transform into corresponding N-methylated products in moderate to excellent yields. In addition, few marketed pharmaceutical agents (e. g., venlafaxine and imipramine) were also successfully synthesized via late-stage functionalization from readily available feedstock chemicals, highlighting synthetic value of this advanced N-methylation reaction. Using this platform, we also attempted tandem reactions with selected nitroarenes to convert them into corresponding N-methylated amines using MeOH under H2-free conditions including transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes-to-anilines and prepared drug molecules (e. g., benzocaine and butamben) as well as key pharmaceutical intermediates. We further enable one-shot selective and green syntheses of 1-methylbenzimidazole using ortho-phenylenediamine (OPDA) and methanol as coupling partners.

meta-Aminophenols are formed by the action of DBU on 3-amino-2-chlorocyclohex-2-en-1-ones at room temperature in MeCN. The chloro compounds are generated by treating 3-aminocyclohex-2-en-1-ones with the easily prepared halogenating agent BnNMe3·ICl2 in Me

Photoinduced hydroarylation of alkenes is an appealing synthetic strategy for arene functionalization. Herein, we demonstrated that aryl radicals generated from electron-deficient aryl chlorides/bromides could be trapped by an array of terminal/internal aryl alkenes in the presence of [Pt(O^N^C^N)] under visible-light (410 nm) irradiation, affording anti-Markovnikov hydroarylated compounds in up to 95 % yield. Besides, a protocol for [Pt(O^N^C^N)]-catalyzed intramolecular photocyclization of acrylanilides to give structurally diverse 3,4-dihydroquinolinones has been developed.

The complex [FeIII2(μ-O2)(L3)4(S)2]4+(L3= 2-(4-thiazolyl)benzimidazole, S = solvent) forms upon reaction of [FeII(L3)2] with H2O2and is a functional model of peroxo-diiron intermediates invoked during the catalytic cycle of oxidoreductases. The spectroscopic properties of the complex are in line with those of complexes formed with N-donor ligands. [FeIII2(μ-O2)(L3)4(S)2]4+shows both nucleophilic (aldehydes) and electrophilic (phenol,N,N-dimethylanilines) oxidative reactivity and unusually also electron transfer oxidation.

It has been found that the final products of the reaction of sulfonyl chlorides and tertiary amines in the presence of cadmium sulfide nanoparticles under visible light irradiation are highly dependent on the applied reaction conditions. Interestingly, with the change of a reaction condition, different pathways were conducted (visible-light-induced N-dealkylation or sp3 and sp2 C-H activation) that lead to different products such as secondary amines and various sulfonyl compounds. Remarkably, all of these reactions were performed under visible light irradiation and an air atmosphere without any additive or oxidant in benign solvents or under solvent-free conditions. During this study, the CdS nanoparticles as affordable, heterogeneous, and recyclable photocatalysts were designed, successfully synthesized, and fully characterized and applied for these protocols. During these studies, intermediates resulting from the oxidation of tertiary amines are trapped during the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process. The reaction was carried out efficiently with a variety of substrates to give the corresponding products at relatively short times in good to excellent yields in parallel with the use of the visible light irradiation as a renewable energy source. Most of these processes are novel or are superior in terms of cost-effectiveness, safety, and simplicity to published reports.

Oxidative [3+3] cycloadditions offer an efficient route for six-membered-ring formation. This approach has been realized based on an electrochemical oxidative coupling of indoles/enamines with active methylene compounds followed by tandem 6π-electrocyclization leading to the synthesis of dihydropyrano[4,3-b]indoles and 2,3-dihydrofurans. The radical–radical cross-coupling of the radical species generated by anodic oxidation combined with the cathodic generation of the base from O2 allows for mild reaction conditions for the synthesis of structurally complex heterocycles.

A mild, metal-free bromination method of arenes has been developed using the combination of bis(trifluoroacetoxy)iodobencene and trimethylsilyl bromide. In situ-formed dibromo(phenyl)-λ3-iodane (PhIBr2) is proposed as the reactive intermediate. This methodology using PIFA/TMSBr has been applied with success to a great number of substrates (25 examples). The treatment of mono-substituted activated arenes led to para-brominated products (2u-z) in excellent 83-96% yields. Density functional theory calculations indicate a stepwise mechanism involving a double bromine addition followed by a type II dyotropic reaction with concomitant re-aromatization of the six-membered ring.

An aerobic oxidative bromination of anilines and aryl ketones catalyzed by recyclable 2-methylpyridinium nitrate ionic liquid is achieved in water using hydrobromic acid as the bromine source and molecular oxygen as the oxidant. The catalytic system shows good efficiency and atom economy.

The direct reductive N-arylation of nitromethane by organophosphorus-catalyzed reductive C-N coupling with arylboronic acid derivatives is reported. This method operates by the action of a small ring organophosphorus-based catalyst (1,2,2,3,4,4-hexamethylphosphetane P-oxide) together with a mild terminal reductant hydrosilane to drive the selective installation of the methylamino group to (hetero)aromatic boronic acids and esters. This method also provides for a unified synthetic approach to isotopically labeled N-methylanilines from various stable isotopologues of nitromethane (i.e., CD3NO2, CH315NO2, and 13CH3NO2), revealing this easy-to-handle compound as a versatile precursor for the direct installation of the methylamino group.

Abstract: Methyl N-alkyl-, N-cycloalkyl-, and N-arylcarbamates were synthesized by reaction of the correspondingamines with dimethyl carbonate in the presence of binder-free FeHY zeolite. Theoptimal conditions (reactant ratio, amount of the catalyst, temperature,reaction time) were found to afford the target products with high yields.

The selective N-monomethylation of primary anilines was realized by the use of the Me3N-BH3/N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) system as the methyl source. This method also allows for the controllable introduction of N-CH2D, N-CHD2, and N-CD3 units with high lev

Compound [IrBr(CO)2(κC-tBuImCH2PyCH2OMe)] featuring a flexible pyridine/OMe functionalized NHC ligand κ1C coordinated efficiently catalyzes the selectiveN-monomethylation of nitroarenes using methanol as both the reducing agent and the C1 source. A range of functionalized nitroarenes including heterocyclic or sterically hindered derivatives have been efficiently converted to the correspondingN-monomethyl amines in good yields at low catalyst loadings using sub-stoichiometric amounts of Cs2CO3as a base. Mechanistic investigations support a borrowing-hydrogen mechanism in which methanol acts as the hydrogen source and methylating agent. Further, the hydrogen transfer reduction of nitrobenzene to aniline under optimized reaction conditions should proceed through a direct mechanism involving nitrosobenzene andN-phenylhydroxylamine intermediates.

The electrochemical synthesis of N, N’-disubstituted benzimidazolones from ureas through an intramolecular anodic dehydrogenative N?H/C?H coupling has been developed. The reaction undergoes under the undivided electrolysis conditions and obviates the need for any catalysts and chemical oxidants. (Figure presented.).

Herein, an unprecedented bimetallic bis-NHC Cp*Ir complex 1 bearing 2-arylbenzo[d]oxazolyl and NHC ligands is reported. A significant increase in activity was observed for N-methylation of amines and reduction of aldehydes with MeOH catalyzed by 1 compared to the monometallic analogues (2-11). Under the optimal conditions, it showed to be highly effective in N-methylation of nitroarenes with MeOH as both C1 and H2 source. Substrates, including aromatic amines, ketones, and nitro compounds with various functional groups, can be well-tolerated. Mechanistic studies and DFT calculation highlight the significance of bimetallic centers cooperativity.

A binuclear copper-salicylate complex, [Cu(Sal)2(NCMe)]2 (Sal=salicylate), was found to be an active catalyst for the oxidation of N,N-dimethylanilines by O2, affording the corresponding N-methyl-N-phenylformamides as major products. The reactions were carried out with a O2 balloon and the S/C (substrate/catalyst ratio) of the model reaction could be up to 1×105, providing a practical and highly efficient catalytic protocol for accessing N-methyl-N-phenylformamides.

The N-methylation of amines with methanol in aqueous solution was proposed and accomplished by using a water-soluble metal-ligand bifunctional dinuclear iridium catalyst. In the presence of [(Cp*IrCl)2(thbpym)][Cl]2 (1 mol %), a range of desirable products were obtained in high yields under environmentally benign conditions. Notably, this research exhibited the potential of transition metal-catalyzed activation of methanol as a C1 source for the construction of the C-N bond in aqueous solution.

Methylation of anilines has drawn a lot of attention due to their valuable applications and directly using methanol as a methylation reagent is of great advantage. Photon-initiated heterogeneous catalysis of this methylation process meets the requirements of green chemistry. Herein we show that balanced redox zones within carbon nitride supported Pd nanoparticles boost the selectivity of methylation of anilines under mild conditions.

The invention provides a preparation method of N-methyl-4-bromoaniline, belonging to the technical field of organic synthesis. The preparation method solves the technical problems that existing monomethylation reaction steps of aniline are tedious and the purity of prepared products is low. The method comprises the following steps: 1, adding dichloroethane and N-methylaniline into a first reactor,then dropwise adding acetic anhydride into the first reactor, and carrying out stirring; 2, dropwise adding a brominating agent into the formed reaction system, carrying out stirring, carrying out sampling analysis until the content of N-methyl acetanilide is less than 1%, adding sodium sulfite, carrying out stirring, and carrying out suction filtration; 3, adding the solid N-methyl-4-bromoacetanilide obtained through suction filtration in the step 2 into a second reactor, then adding hydrochloric acid with a mass concentration of 15%, carrying out heating reflux for 3 h, and carrying out sampling analysis until a reaction is completed; and 4, cooling, neutralizing and extracting the reaction system in the step 3, and recovering the solvent to obtain the colorless transparent liquid N-methyl-4-bromoaniline. The N-methyl-4-bromoaniline prepared by using the method is high in purity, and has a content of greater than 98%.

A simple and efficient bromination of aniline, aniline derivatives, and analogs have been developed. Forty three examples were given and the highest yield reached was 98%. Different substrates including substituted aniline, pyridin-amine, N-substituted aniline, N,N-disubstituted aniline, N-phenyl-amide, N-phenyl-sulfonamide, and nitrogen-containing heterocycles were all reactive and selectively generated desired bromo-products. The method can be applied to synthesize drug intermediate and quinoxaline derivatives.

Electrochemical regioselective bromination of electron-rich aromatic rings using stoichiometric tetrabutylammonium bromide (n Bu 4 NBr) has been accomplished under mild conditions. This protocol provides an environmentally friendly and simple way for the construction of C-Br bond in moderate to high yields with wide functional group tolerance.

Synthesis of a Cp Ru complex bearing an NH 2 -functionalized N -heterocyclic carbene (C-N H) was achieved by treatment of CpRuBr(isoprene) with an equimolar amount of a silver complex, which was generated from Ag 2 O and 1-(2-aminoethyl)-3-methylimidazolium bromide, in CH 3 CN at room temperature. The new CpRuBr(C-N H) complex showed a higher catalytic performance than the related CpRuCl(P-N H) and CpRuCl(N-N H) complexes. In the reaction of N -arylcarboxamides, the amine products were obtained in satisfactory yields under mild temperature conditions.

The first transition-metal-free catalytic protocol for controlled reduction of amide functions using cheap and bench-stable hydrosilanes as reducing agents has been established. By altering the hydrosilane and solvent, the new method enables the selective cleavage of unactivated C-O bonds in amides and allows the C-N bonds to selectively break via the deacylated cleavage. Overall, this novel process may offer a versatile alternative to current methodologies employing stoichiometric metal systems for the controlled reduction of carboxamides.

The first transition-metal-free catalytic protocol for controlled reduction of amide functions using cheap and bench-stable hydrosilanes as reducing agents has been established. By altering the hydrosilane and solvent, the new method enables the selective cleavage of unactivated C-O bonds in amides and allows the C-N bonds to selectively break via the deacylated cleavage. Overall, this novel process may offer a versatile alternative to current methodologies employing stoichiometric metal systems for the controlled reduction of carboxamides.

Carbon dioxide can play a vital role as a sustainable feedstock for chemical synthesis. To be viable, the employed protocol should be as mild as possible. Herein we report a methodology to incorporate CO2 into primary, secondary, aromatic or alkyl amines catalysed by a Rh(i) complex bearing a perimidine-based NHC/phosphine pincer ligand. The periminide-based ligand belongs to a class of 6-membered NHC ligand accessed through chelate-assisted double C-H activation. N-Formylation and -methylation of amines were performed using a balloon of CO2, and phenylsilane as the reducing agent. Product selectivity between formylated and methylated products was tuned by changing the solvent, reaction temperature and the quantity of phenylsilane used. Medium to excellent conversions, as well as tolerance to a range of functional groups, were achieved. Stoichiometric reactions with reactants employed in catalysis and time course studies suggested that formylation and methylation reactions of interest begin with hydrosilylation of CO2 followed by reaction with amine substrates.

Nonheme iron(II) complex, [(N4Py*)FeII(CH3CN)](ClO4)2 (1) with pentadentate tetrapyridyl ligand (N4Py* = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-di(2-pyridyl)ethylamine) has been shown to catalyze the oxidation of N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) with H2O2, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP), peracetic acid (PAA), meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (mCPBA) and PhIO resulting N-methylaniline (MA) as the predominant product with N-methylformanilide (MFA) as a result of a free-radical chain process. The product composition (MA/MFA) is remarkably influenced by the electron density on the substrate, especially in the 1/mCPBA system, and by the co-oxidants used. No formation of MFA occurred when the oxidation of DMA was carried out in the presence of 1 with PhIO as co-oxidants under argon. Based on spectral investigation (UV–Vis) of reaction systems above, oxoiron(IV) intermediate, [FeIV(N4Py*)(O)]2+ (2) has been suggested to be the key active species of the N-dealkylation reaction in all catalytic systems. The shift in the λmax value of the oxoiron(IV) species in the presence of DMA from 705 to 750 nm, and the new intense absorption in the range of 5–600 nm indicates a complexation and charge-transfer (CT) type interactions between the oxidant and substrate. The stoichiometric oxidation of various N,N-dimethylaniline derivatives with 2 provided clear evidence (Hammett correlation with ρ = ?1.99, and the large negative slope (?4.1) from the logkobs versus Eoox (DMAs) plot) for the rate-determining electron transfer (ET) followed by a proton transfer (PT) process.

The iron-catalyzed α-C-H alkylation of N-methylanilines without any directing group by cross-dehydrogenative coupling between unactivated C(sp3)-H and C(sp3)-H bonds has been established for the first time, which provides a good complement to C(sp3)-H activation reactions and expands the field of Fe-catalyzed C-H functionalizations. Many different C(sp3)-H bonds in cyclic alkanes, cyclic ethers, and toluene derivatives can be used as coupling partners. Mechanistic investigations including the radical reaction process, the main role of various reagents, and the kinetic isotope effect experiment were also described.

Seven new chelated cyclometalated Ir complexes of ABON,P, ABON,O, and ABON,C(carbene) based on a rigid and tunable 2-arylbenzo[d]oxazole backbone have been prepared for the N-methylation of amines. Among these three coordinated modes, ABON,C(carbene)-chelated iridium-based catalysts exhibited good performance in the monomethylation of aromatic amines with methanol (MeOH) as the green methylation reagent. The steric-modified synthesis of ABON,C(carbene) complexes was described. The most active ABON,C(carbene) complex with marginal steric hindrance as a catalyst was obtained from the benzoxazole ring without a substituent and methyl group of the benzimidazole ring on the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand. A variety of amines including para- and meta-substituted aromatic amines, as well as heterocyclic amines, were formulated as suitable substrates. Importantly, this catalyst considerably promoted the yield of the N-methylation of ortho-substituted aromatic amines. Controlled kinetic experiments and deuterium-labeling reactions of these ortho-substituted amines were conducted under optimized conditions. On the basis of the experimental results, a plausible mechanism was proposed.

The first example of room temperature non-noble metal homogeneous system catalyzed selective N-alkylation of anilines with alcohols by a bis-NHC manganese complex is presented. This system was applied to a large range of alcohols and anilines, including biologically relevant motifs and challenging methanol. Experimental and computational studies suggest an outer-sphere mechanism for this NHC-Mn system.

Hydroalumination of 1-aza-but-1-en-ynes 1 provides facile access to propargylamines 4 by reduction of the C=N bonds or alternatively to 1-aza-buta-1,3-dienes 6 by reduction of the triple bond. The chemoselectivity depends not only on the steric properties of both the hydroalumination agent (di-iso-butylaluminum (DIBAL-H, iBu2AlH) versus di-tert-butylaluminum hydride (tBu2AlH)) and the substrates but also on the reaction temperatures. In several cases, initial aluminum species of 5-aluminazole type 5 could be isolated and characterized by X-ray diffraction, indicating an "anti-Michael" addition of the hydride to the triple bond. Aqueous workup of those species led to 1-azabutadiene derivatives 6. High-level DFT calculations indicate that the observed chemoselectivity is only compatible with a dimeric nature of the hydroaluminating agent. Using such a dimer, the imine reduction corresponds to the kinetically controlled pathway, whereas the triple bond reduction leads to the thermodynamically much more stable 5-aluminazoles, 5.

Cobalt(ii)-catalyzed stereospecific coupling of N-methylanilines with styrene oxides is developed via tandem C-N and C-O bond formation using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) as an oxidant. Optically active epoxide can be reacted with high optical purity.

An iron(0) complex bearing a cyclopentadienone ligand catalyzed N-methylation and N-ethylation of aryl and aliphatic amines with methanol or ethanol in mild and basic conditions through a hydrogen autotransfer borrowing process is reported. A broad range of aromatic and aliphatic amines underwent mono- or dimethylation in high yields. DFT calculations suggest molecular hydrogen acts not only as a reducing agent but also as an additive to displace thermodynamic equilibria.

Reaction of complex [Cp?Ir(HOC5H3CH2C5H3OH)Cl][Cl] (1) with AgOTf generated the product [Cp?Ir(HOC5H3CH2C5H3OH)(H2O)][OTf]2 (2), which was further transformed to the complex [Cp?Ir(OC5H3CH2C5H3O)(H2O)] (3) in the presence of t-BuONa via -OH deprotonation. Complexes 1-3 exhibited high activity for the methylation of amines and ketones. These C-C and C-N coupling reactions proceeded in air with 1 mol % catalyst loading in the presence of K2CO3.

Efficient and versatile catalytic systems were developed for the N-methylation of both aliphatic and aromatic primary amines using methanol as the methylating agent. Iridium complexes bearing an Nheterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand exhibited high catalytic performance for this type of transformation. For aliphatic amines, selective N,N-dimethylation was achieved at low temperatures (50-90 °C). For aromatic amines, selective N-monomethylation and selective N,N-dimethylation were accomplished by simply changing the reaction conditions (presence or absence of a base with an appropriate catalyst). These findings can be used to develop methods for synthesizing useful amine compounds having N-methyl or N,N-dimethyl moieties.

A general iron-catalyzed methylation has been developed using methanol as a C1 building block. This borrowing hydrogen approach employs a Kn?lker-type (cyclopentadienone)iron carbonyl complex as catalyst (2 mol %) and exhibits a broad reaction scope. A variety of ketones, indoles, oxindoles, amines, and sulfonamides undergo mono- or dimethylation in excellent isolated yields (>60 examples, 79% average yield).

An air and moisture stable 2-hydroxypyridine based bifunctional ruthenium NNN-pincer complex catalyzed efficient (TON=42840) N-alkylation of amines under mild conditions. Surprisingly, with cyclic secondary amines this methodology selectively produced only amides. Notably, N-methylation of several amines was achieved by using methanol as a green methylating agent. Furthermore, with lower catalyst loading (0.2 mol%) and shorter reaction time (6 h) numerous substituted quinolines were synthesized from 2-aminobenzyl alcohols and secondary alcohols. The effectiveness of this protocol was further extended by successfully synthesizing 2-alkylaminoquinolines in a one-pot fashion from amino alcohol, aliphatic nitriles, and alcohols. Gram scale synthesis of various compounds was also investigated to demonstrate the synthetic applicability of this methodology. (Figure presented.).

The use of methanol for the selective methylation of aromatic amines with RuHCl(CO)(PNHP) (PNHP = bis(2-diphenylphosphinoethyl)amine) is reported. Various aromatic amines were transformed into their corresponding monomethylated secondary amines in high yields at 150 °C with a very low catalyst loading (0.02-0.1 mol %) in the presence of KOtBu (20-60 mol %). The catalyst precursor, RuHCl(CO)(PNHP), was converted to [RuH(CO)2(PNHP)]+ under the catalytic conditions and also serves as a highly effective catalyst. The robustness of this catalyst contributes to its outstanding catalytic activity, even under reaction conditions, in which CO is liberated from methanol.