Mechanism-Driven Approach To Develop a Mild and Versatile C-H Amidation through Ir^III Catalysis

Described herein is a mechanism-based approach to develop a versatile C-H amidation protocol under Ir^III catalysis. Reaction kinetics of a key C-N coupling step with acyl azide and 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-one led us to conclude that dioxazolones are much more efficient in mediating the formation of a carbon-nitrogen bond from an iridacyclic intermediate. Computational analysis revealed that the origin of higher reactivity is asynchronous decarboxylation motion, which may facilitate the formation of Ir-imido species. Importantly, stoichiometric reactivity was successfully translated into catalytic activity with a broad range of substrates (18 different types), many of which are regarded as challenging to functionalize. Application of the new method enables late-stage functionalization of drug molecules.