2
Nakae, T.; Komiya, N. Synlett 2007, 1675-1678; f) Zhu, B.;
80[c]
41[c]
7
8
Angelici, R. J. Chem. Commun. 2007, 2157-2159; g) Choi, H.;
Doyle, M. P. Chem. Commun. 2007, 745-747; h) Wang, J.-R.; Fu,
Y.; Zhang, B.-B.; Cui, X.; Liu, L.; Guo, Q.-X. Tetrahedron Lett.
2006, 47, 8293-8297; i) Samec, J. S. M.; Ell, A. H.; Bäckvall, J.-E.
Chem. Eur. J. 2005, 11, 2327-2334; j) So, M. H.; Liu, Y. G.; Ho,
C. M.; Che, C. M. Chem. Asian J. 2009, 4, 1551-1561; k)
Yamaguchi, K.; Mizuno, N. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2003, 42,
1480-1483; l) Nicolaou, K. C.; Mathison, C. J. N.; Montagnon, T.
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 5192-5201; m) Ell, A. H.; Samec, J.
S. M.; Brasse, C.; Bäckvall, J. E. Chem. Commun. 2002, 1144-
1145; n) Dhakshinamoorthy, A.; Alvaro, M.; Garcia, H. Chem.
Eur. J. 2010, 16, 8530-8536.
a: Benzyl amines (1 mmol), H2O2 (30% in water; 1 mmol)
100oC, 16h. b: Isolated yield. c: NMR yield using 1,4-
dimethoxybenzene as the internal standard. d: 2 mmol H2O2 was
used.
With the best reaction conditions in hand, we explored the
scope of the process (Table 1).[7] The reaction works nicely with
electron-donating substituted benzyl amines and gave the
corresponding imines in good to excellent yields (Table 1, entries
1-4). Naphthyl can also be tolerated; the desired imine was
formed in 81% yield (Table 1, entry 5). 80-84% of halogen
substituted imines were produced from their parent benzyl
amines under the same reaction conditions (Table 1, entries 6,7).
At the end, pyridin-3-ylmethanamine as an example of
heterocyclic compounds was used as substrate as well, (E)-1-
5. a) Klawonn, M.; Bhor, S.; Mehltretter, G.; Döbler, C.; Fischer, C.;
Beller, M. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2003, 345, 389-392; b) Shi, F.; Tse,
M. K.; Kaiser, H. M.; Beller, M. Adv. Synth. Catal. 2007, 349,
2425-2430; c) Hereb, M. Green Chem. 2012, 14, 3047-3052; d)
Stingl, K. A.; Tsogoeva, S. B. Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 2010, 21,
1055-1074.
6. Wu, X. -F.; Bheeter, C. B.; Neumann, H.; Dixneuf, P. H.; Beller,
M. Chem. Commun. 2012, 48, 12237-12239.
7. General reaction procedure: In a 25mL pressure tube equipped
with a stirring bar, benzyl amine (1 mmol) and H2O2 (30% in
water; 1 mmol) was injected by syringe under air atmosphere.
Then the tube was closed and heated to 100oC for 16h. After the
reaction was complete, the reaction mixture was cooled down and
extracted with diethyl ether. The product was obtained after
evaporation and NMR spectra were recorded. 1,4-
Dimethoxybenzene was added as the internal standard.
(pyridin-3-yl)-N-(pyridin-3-ylmethylene)methanamine
was
produced in 41% yield without further optimization (Table 1,
entry 8). It is also important to mention that aliphatic amines (n-
butyl amine and 2-phenylethanamine) can not be reacted under
these conditions and gave the starting materials without change.
1-Phenylethanamine did not give any desired product as well.
In conclusion, a convenient procedure for the oxidation of
benzyl amines to the corresponding imines has been developed.
Various imines were produced in good to excellent yields.
Notably, no catalyst was needed, and H2O2 was used as the
oxidant and no solvent was required.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) and the
DFG (Leibniz price) for financial support. We also thank Drs. W.
Baumann, C. Fischer (LIKAT) for analytical support. The
general supports from Professor Matthias Beller (LIKAT) are
acknowledged.
References and notes
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