Metal-free Synthesis of Aryl Amines: Beyond Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution

A mild and metal-free approach to C-N coupling is described that employs diaryliodonium salt electrophiles and secondary aliphatic amine nucleophiles. This reaction results in direct ipso-substitution of the iodonium moiety and unsymmetrical aryl(TMP)iodonium salts are primarily employed. Moreover, arene substituents and substitution patterns that currently pose a challenge to classical metal-free methods are accommodated and the alicyclic amine nucleophiles used here are unprecedented in other contemporary metal-free C-N coupling reactions.