Reductive Alkylation of Azides and Nitroarenes with Alcohols: A Selective Route to Mono- and Dialkylated Amines
Ishani Borthakur1, Milan Maji1, Abhisek Joshi1
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur 208016, Uttar Pradesh (U.P.), India.
Abstract:
Herein, we demonstrated an efficient protocol for reductive alkylation of azides/nitro compounds via a borrowing hydrogen (BH) method. By following this protocol, selective mono- and dialkylated amines were obtained under mild and solvent-free conditions. A series of control experiments and deuterium-labeling experiments were performed to understand this catalytic process. Mechanistic studies suggested that the Ir(III)-H was the active intermediate in this reaction. KIE study revealed that the breaking of the C-H bond of alcohol might be the rate-limiting step. Notably, this solvent-free strategy disclosed a high TON of around 5600. Based on kinetic studies and control experiments, a metal-ligand cooperative mechanism was proposed.
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