Deaminative Olefination of Methyl N-Heteroarenes by an Amine Oxidase Inspired Catalyst

We explored the bioinspired o-quinone cofactor catalyzed aerobic primary amine dehydrogenation for a cascade olefination reaction with nine different methyl N-heteroarenes, including pyrimidines, pyrazines, pyridines, quinolines, quinoxolines, benzimidazoles, benzoxazoles, benzthiazoles, and triazines. An o-quinone catalyst phd (1,10-phenanthroline-5,6-dione) combined with a Brønsted acid catalyzed the reaction. N-Heteroaryl stilbenoids were synthesized in high yields and (E)-selectivities under mild conditions using oxygen (1 atm) as the sole oxidant without needing transition-metal salt, ligand, stoichiometric base, or oxidant.